"Hunting and Fishing Access in the Great American Outdoors"
House Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries
2026-01-13
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Source: Congress.gov
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The Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries will come to order. Good afternoon, everyone. I am sorry that I am a few minutes late. I just came off the floor and this morning we have been busy in the Judiciary Committee. So I do want to welcome all the members, witnesses and our guests in the audience in today's hearing. Without objection, the chair is authorized to declare a recess of the subcommittee at any time. Under Committee Rule 4F, any oral opening statements at hearings are limited to the chair and the ranking member. I therefore ask unanimous consent that all other members opening statements be made part of the hearing record if they are submitted in accordance with Committee Rule 3.0. Without objection, so ordered. I also ask unanimous consent that the Congressman from Montana, Mr. Downing, and the Congressman from Illinois, Mr. Bosch, to be allowed to participate in today's hearing. Without objection, so ordered. We are here today to hold an oversight hearing titled Hunting and Fishing Access in the Great American Outdoors. I now recognize myself for a five-minute opening statement. Today, the subcommittee will examine an issue of great importance to all of our districts and to the millions of Americans who enjoy hunting and fishing access on our nation's public lands and waters. Depending on where your district is located, the nature of access for hunting and fishing brings different examples to mind. Hunting at a national wildlife refuge, navigating the checkerboard of western federal lands, or state management of the South Atlantic bread snapper fishery, to name just a few. I look forward to having a robust discussion on a range of topics today. Hunting and fishing are a way of life for millions of Americans and support billions of dollars in economic activities and species conservation. Under this subcommittee's jurisdiction is the National Wildlife Refuge System, a crown jewel of American conservation, whose full potential remains untapped for providing even greater access for responsible hunting and fishing activities.
By way of just one example, according to an analysis conducted by an organization called the Delta Waterfowl, there are at least 100 refuges that should provide more access to sportsmen and women, but barriers still remain. I do want to commend the work of the Trump administration, which has, since taking office, sought to expand hunting and fishing access to the refuge system as part of the final 2025-2026 so-called hunt-fish rule. This final rule opened 42 new hunting and fishing opportunities at 16 refuge units across more than 87,000 acres, thereby more than tripling the number of opportunities and increasing the number of refuge units opened or expanded by a factor of five as compared to the Biden administration's proposed rule. I also look forward to hearing more about the secretarial order on hunting and fishing access that was signed by Secretary Burgum just this morning. And I also commend Dr. Nesvik, for instituting a full-scale review of the refuge system, something that is long overdue and an action that I believe will make our refuge system even better. I hope this U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service review focuses on how the refuge system can make existing resources go further and assesses opportunities for greater coordination with non-federal partners to better manage individual refuges across the country. In addition to America's lands, access to our federal waters is another important part of achieving the goals of sportsman's access consistent with the goals of the Trump administration. In recent years, inadequate and incomplete data combined with heavy-handed regulations have threatened to limit access to America's fishery resources. By ensuring that regulations are developed using the most accurate and most complete data and developed through a collaborative approach where all voices are heard, we can increase Americans' access to our nation's waters in a way that incentivizes recreation while encouraging good stewardship.
Lastly, I would be remiss not to mention that coming from a Western public land state, the vast federal estate creates its own challenges when it comes to providing access while protecting the rights of private property owners. This is one of the many reasons why I'm so glad that Brian Nesvik from the greatest state in the nation, Wyoming, is our Fish and Wildlife Service Director, and we are grateful to have him here with us today. I look forward to having a robust and substantive discussion on how to better manage these federal resources. I now recognize Ranking Member Hoyle for her opening statement. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you to our witness here today. Hunting and fishing and outdoor recreation are bipartisan issues, and I'm glad we're here today to talk about how we can keep working together to support and protect recreation on our public lands. Hunting and fishing are not just hobbies. They're how many of my constituents feed their families, how communities come together, and how we connect to the land and our food sources. When we get young people out into the outdoors, it helps them build critical thinking skills, increase physical fitness, and gain respect for the environment and their place in it. It also offers an opportunity to build focus and their attention span and connection with the real world. I'm sure we can all agree that our youth would be better off being engaged in outdoor sports as opposed to being on social media or online games. supports over 170,000 jobs. Nationwide, outdoor recreation generates $1.2 trillion a year. Conservation is good for families and good for our economy. America's sportsmen and women are some of the strongest advocates for healthy wildlife and conservation of our habitats.
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