[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 49 (Monday, March 16, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Page 11133]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-5589]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R9-F-2009-N0004; 97600-9424-0000-7e]


TakeMeFishing.org Web Site Advertising Guidelines

AGENCY: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of adoption of final guidelines.

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SUMMARY: The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) will sell 
advertising on its http://TakeMeFishing.org Web site to help generate 
revenue from non-Federal funds to expand its outreach program. RBFF has 
adopted final advertising guidelines to determine who can advertise and 
how the advertising sales will be operated.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: RBFF Project Officer [email protected] (e-mail) or (703) 358-2435.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Recreational boating and fishing 
participation rates have declined over the past 5 years. Recreational 
boating and fishing related activities contribute to conserving aquatic 
resources through excise taxes collected from sales of fishing 
equipment and motorboat fuel that fund the Federal Aid in Sport Fish 
Restoration Program. This program, coupled with fishing license sales, 
makes up more than 80 percent of the funding for conservation and 
protection of aquatic resources in the United States. To address the 
declining participation of recreational boating and fishing, Congress 
passed the Sportfishing and Boating Safety Act of 1998, which called 
for Federal appropriations to be used for the National Outreach and 
Communication Program. The Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership 
Council developed the ``Strategic Plan for the National Outreach and 
Communication Program,'' and the Secretary of the Interior approved the 
Strategic Plan in February 1999.
    RBFF is a nonprofit organization created to carry out the National 
Outreach and Communication Program, whose mission is to increase 
participation in recreational angling and boating and, through those 
experiences, increase the public's awareness of and appreciation for 
the need for conserving and protecting America's aquatic natural 
resources. RBFF is funded through the Sport Fish Restoration and 
Boating Trust Fund. This fund is composed of Federal taxes collected on 
the sale of motorboat fuel and of excise taxes paid by manufacturers of 
fishing tackle. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) 
administers RBFF's funding via a cooperative agreement between the 
Service and RBFF, in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding signed 
by the Service, the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council, the 
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, and RBFF.
    The Strategic Plan, which RBFF was created to implement, 
specifically calls for the implementing organization not to be operated 
as a ``grants-in-aid'' organization. The Plan also calls for RBFF to 
``create an industry `hard dollar' fund mechanism to promote, extend 
and expand the outreach program.'' In response, RBFF will sell 
advertising on its http://TakeMeFishing.org Web site to generate 
revenue from non-Federal funds to expand its outreach program.
    On October 20, 2008, the Service published in the Federal Register 
(73 FR 62310) a notice of availability of RBFF's draft advertising 
guidelines and requested public comments on those draft guidelines. 
RBFF designed draft guidelines to determine who can advertise and how 
the advertising sales will operate. The Service received three comments 
during the comment period.
    RBFF is adopting, without change, the advertising guidelines that 
the Service published in the Federal Register on October 20, 2008 (73 
FR 62310). Please refer to that notice for the guidelines, or contact 
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

Paul R. Schmidt,
Acting Deputy Director.
 [FR Doc. E9-5589 Filed 3-13-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P