The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service gave recreational boaters and anglers good news May 9 when it announced program competitive grants totaling $14.27 million to 10 states and Washington, D.C. from the Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) program. The Service also will provide $2.48 million to 27 states willing to match smaller, non-competitive grants. These funds will pay for the construction of boat slips for transient boats more than 26 feet in length.

“These grant funds come from the ‘user pays, user benefits’ BIG program of the Sportfish and Boating Trust Fund, which MRAA strongly backs, and help support boating, fishing and many small businesses,” says Matt Gruhn, MRAA president.

The funds come from federal excise taxes and other taxes on fishing equipment and gasoline. They pay for floating docks, fixed piers, mooring buoys, sewage pump-out stations, and other infrastructure to help provide access to the water and local communities for transient boaters.