The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service – the funder of the Clean Vessel Act Grant Program – recently released a video explaining the impact of the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund for recreational boating, highlighting the importance of wildlife conservation and management: “Waterways for All: Improving and Expanding Public Fishing and Boating Access.” The video is the first-ever boating specific video in their “Partner with a Payer” series, and showcases the work being done to continue providing public boat launches and public fishing piers throughout the United States. Bremerton-based Defiance Boats is included in the video.
Special thanks to Catherine Buchalski Smith, Washington State Parks, who brought this opportunity to our attention, and to Bo Palmer at Defiance Marine for making his facility available for a tour and for participating in the video.
As part of the video production, representatives from the Washington Department of Natural Resources, American Sportfishing Association, the States Organization for Boating Access and USFWS toured the Defiance Boats factory and other marine facilities. Throughout the tours, they learned what it takes to generate the excise tax revenues that support sportfish restoration and increase outdoor recreation participation in Washington and across the country.
