The FWS provided the grants to the Connecticut Department of Fish and Game, Bureau of Natural Resources, under the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program. The audit included claims totaling $22.8 million on 42 grants that were open during the State fiscal years that ended June 30, 2015, and June 30, 2016. The audit also covered the Bureau’s compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and FWS guidelines, including those related to collecting and using hunting and fishing license revenues and reporting program income.
We found that the Bureau complied, in general, with applicable grant accounting and regulatory requirements. We did identify issues with equipment management. The Bureau could not provide a detailed equipment list that included costs for acquisitions. In addition, of the 79 equipment items we reviewed during site visits, 10 (13 percent) could not be located.
The Bureau acknowledged the finding and is taking steps to improve asset control and tracking. The FWS concurred with our finding and recommendations and has reviewed and accepted the Bureau’s response to our recommendations.