Funds under this grant award will be used to conduct technical guidance, fishery development, fishery habitat enhancement, fishery surveys, human dimension investigations, and project coordination

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service awarded the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) a Sport Fish Restoration formula grant (CFDA 15.605) totaling $3,623,986 effective July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. Under this award, NCWRC will deliver comprehensive sport fish management and conservation services across North Carolina's inland waters, including technical guidance, fishery development, habitat enhancement, and fishery surveys. Key deliverables encompass coordination and administration of sport fish population management programs, inland aquatic habitat management, fish population data collection and analysis, fish disease monitoring and mitigation, development of management plans for various sport fish species, and provision of safe and accessible fishing access for anglers.

In addition to direct fishery management activities, NCWRC will provide technical assistance to private citizens, governmental entities, and organizations supporting the broader sport fishing community. The grant funds support the agency's ongoing stewardship of North Carolina's sport fish resources and recreational angling opportunities through scientific investigation, resource assessment, and collaborative management initiatives. These formula grant activities represent core operational funding for NCWRC's sport fish restoration mission, which historically has supported management of public fishing access areas, hatchery operations, and data-driven conservation efforts benefiting the state's sport fishing resources.

Performed by the north carolina wildlife resources commission (ncwrc), these activities contribute to the management and maintenance of sport fish populations, their habitats and their users in north carolina s inland waters for the benefit of the angling public. Sport fish restoration program grant funds will support coordination and administration of programs and projects management of sport fish populations, management of inland aquatic habitats to benefit sport fishes collection and analysis of data on fish populations monitoring and mitigation of fish diseases development of management plans for various sport fishes provision of safe and accessible fishing access for anglers and technical assistance to private citizens, governmental entities and organizations.