Over a quarter of the public does not know much about their state fish and wildlife agency. To effectively manage fish and wildlife resources, state agencies must understand all stakeholders and not just those who buy a license. Between July and November 2025, on behalf of 12 states within the Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (NEAFWA), a survey was fielded to both recreational hunting/fishing license holders and a general population panel inquiring about several major topics, including:

1. How relevant their state fish and wildlife agency is to them,
2. How important are the various responsibilities handled by their state fish and wildlife agency,
3. Whether they believed the agency was doing a good job fulfilling its responsibilities, and
4. Funding preferences.

The goal of this project is to help state fish and wildlife agencies better understand how to engage and interact with the public. Reports are also available for the Midwest and the Southeast regions.

The summary report and detailed technical report are available below.