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Wildlife and Fisheries warns of conservation fund shortfall as royalties fall; seeks new revenue paths
Summary
Acting Wildlife and Fisheries officials told the Appropriations Committee that declining royalties have reduced the conservation fund balance and the agency is pursuing partnerships, license revenue and federal grants to sustain operations and projects.
Paige Filia presented the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ FY26 executive budget review to the House Appropriations Committee on April 1, 2025. The department’s recommended budget totals about $199.4 million; statutory dedications were cited at $77.4 million and federal funding at $50.7 million.
Acting Secretary Tyler Bosworth and Undersecretary Brian McClendon told the committee the agency has seen a sharp drop in royalties and conservation fund revenue tied to long‑term declines in traditional on‑shore oil and gas production on department lands. McClendon said reductions from major producers and coastal litigation have reduced production on the department’s acreage and that the refuge and several WMAs have sustained significant revenue drops.
The shortfall prompted a means‑of‑finance swap that added $30,000,000 in state general fund support in the FY26 recommendation, Filia said; the department also had to draw a temporary seed from the state treasury to maintain cash flow. Bosworth said the department held spending steady and has sought efficiencies, including a vehicle‑leasing strategy that spreads replacement costs over multiple years rather than buying fleets up front.
Bosworth highlighted partnerships and programs intended to shore up the fund. The department entered a multi‑year agreement with the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) for $12,000,000 in artificial reef expansion over four years and described the Outdoor Forever program (initial $10,000,000 allocation, plus later funds) as a successful leveraging effort that brought additional outside investment to projects. Bosworth said the department is exploring federal grant opportunities — including an application to NOAA for additional monitoring vessels and equipment — and has purchased at least one new electrofishing/monitoring vessel using existing conservation funds.
On invasive species and aquatic plant control, the committee discussed salvinia and other targets. Bosworth said fisheries and plant management use boat‑registration and federal Wallop‑Breaux/Dingell‑Johnson funds as key matched sources; the department receives up to $5,000,000 annually via boat registration for aquatic plant work and matches federal grants where possible.
Members asked about derelict‑vessel and houseboat removal funding; Bosworth said a derelict‑vessel fund exists in the state treasury but has no standing annual appropriation and that the department will pursue project‑by‑project spending or legislative appropriations as opportunities arise.
Committee members and the department agreed to follow up on specific district impacts, license sales trends and the department’s longer‑term plan to replace lost royalty income with other revenue and partnership models. No formal votes were taken at the hearing.
