How it works

The province spends 100% of hunting and fishing revenue on fish and wildlife management. This includes revenue from:

  • commercial and recreational licence fees
  • royalties
  • fines and penalties

The funds go into a fish and wildlife special purpose account, which invests more than $71 million a year in fish and wildlife management.

Where your fees go

Pie chart - breakdown by category

Breakdown by category:

  • 25% - planning, policy and regulatory (purple)
  • 19% - conservation officers and enforcement (green)
  • 21% - species and ecosystem science (red)
  • 14% - population health, rehabilitation and enhancement (brown)
  • 13% - Outdoors cards and licensing (blue)
  • 8% - safety, education and promotion (yellow)

*Planned Special Purpose Account expenditures, 2015-2016 fiscal year

How your fees improve fishing

Revenue collected supports:

  • stocking 8 million fish a year in 1,200 lakes and rivers
  • development of Fish ON-Line, a mobile fishing tool
  • the Learn to Fish program

Find a stocked lake with Fish ON-Line

Ontario’s fish stocking program

How your fees improve hunting

Revenue collected supports:

  • the reintroduction of elk and elk hunting in Ontario
  • the hunter apprentice program and hunter education
  • the creation of hundreds of thousands of hunting opportunities for deer, moose, elk, bear, small game and wild turkey

Learn about the hunter apprentice program

Wildlife Management

How your fees support enforcement and safety

Revenue collected supports:

  • safety and education blitzes for hunting and fishing
  • charges for poaching and unsafe hunting
  • conservation officers on duty over 90,000 hours a year

Conservation Officer Powers and Authorities

How your fees support conservation

Your fees also support conservation efforts, such as:

  • protecting native fish from invasive species (e.g.,  invasive carp, formerly known as Asian carp, round goby)
  • improving habitat for fish and wildlife
  • monitoring for diseases that affect fish and wildlife
  • operating 9 fish culture stations to stock and re-establish fish species
  • surveying fish and wildlife populations (e.g., size, age, numbers, general health)

Protecting fish and wildlife health

Visit a fish culture station

Annual reports

You can learn more about how fish and wildlife special purpose account dollars are spent by reading these reports: