Neal and Mary Jane Mishler/USFWS

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Fisheries Program4401 North Fairfax DriveArlington, VA 22203

http://fisheries.fws.gov

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

ConservingAmerica’sFisheriesA Proud PastA Bright Future

Young fishermen at Island Lakebetween Red Lodge and Cook City, MT.

CONSERVINGCONSERVING

America’s pristinewaters once supportedplentiful and robustfisheries. Our Nation’snatural treasuresappeared to beabundant without end.The United Statesfueled the industrialrevolution withresources of water,timber, minerals andwildlife. Then the fishbegan to disappear....

fishing at sunset

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IntroductionFarming, industrialization,population growth, and overharvestdegraded our Nation’s water qualityand fisheries resources. By the mid-1800’s, fishermen recognized adecline in fish populations. In 1871,Spencer Fullerton Baird, AssistantSecretary of the SmithsonianInstitution, wrote to Congress urgingFederal protection for the Nation’sfisheries. Baird warned that the“time is not far distant” that Americawill lose fish as a source of“subsistence and support,” a“calamity that would involve a vastnumber of evils in its train.” Baird’swarning was echoed by the AmericanFish Culturalists’ Association (nowthe American Fisheries Society).

Congress responded by creating theCommission on Fish and Fisheries,the first Federal agency dedicated tothe conservation of naturalresources. By law,the Commissionwas to determineif and whyfisheries haddeclined and whatactions should betaken. One yearlater, Congressappropriatedfunds for the firstNational Fish

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Right: McCloudNFH, California,1870’s

Below: BrookTrout illustration

Hatchery. The Commission was thepredecessor of the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service’s Fisheries Program.

Today, America’s fish are still introuble. Aquatic habitat is decliningbecause of erosion andsedimentation, altered stream flows,dams and obstructions, pollution andinvasive species. More than 100kinds of fish are listed under theEndangered Species Act, and nofish has been removed from thelist through recovery.

To help restore our fisheries, theFisheries Program surveys

populations and habitats, raisesnative fish and other species,

and restores habitat to meetthe goals of fisheriesmanagement plans. Wemaintain a network of field

stations across the country, including70 National Fish Hatcheries, 1Historical National Fish Hatchery, 7Fish Technology Centers, 9 FishHealth Centers, 64 FisheryResources Offices, and 1 geneticslaboratory.

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Aquatic Species Conservation andManagement

Interjurisdictional FisheriesWe work with Federal, Canadian,State, Tribal and other conservationpartners to restore and manage fishpopulations that cross state ornational boundaries. Self-sustainingpopulations of freshwater, coastaland anadromous fish (fish thatreproduce in fresh waterand mature in the ocean)indicate healthy ecosystemsand provide recreationaland commercial benefits.In the Northeast Region,we use the latest science torestore Atlantic salmon,striped bass, Americanshad, river herring, Atlanticsturgeon, American eel, andother interjurisdictional fishspecies.

Native SpeciesWe restore declining native fishpopulations by protecting andrestoring habitats and reintroducingfish where appropriate. We work torecover listed species under theEndangered Species Act. The Great

Lakes/BigRivers Regionidentifiessuitable habitatsand releases laketrout eggs andyearlings inLakes Michiganand Huron.

We monitor andevaluate fish populations andmaintain databases to assist partnersin managing fisheries resources. Thenatural diversity of Alaska’s fisheryresources is measured by the health,diversity and relative abundance ofnative populations. Long-term

monitoring allows evaluationof the health, relativeabundance and protectivemeasures needed to sustainstocks within an ecosystem.

Aquatic Nuisance SpeciesWe help in preventing andcontrolling the spread of

aquatic nuisance species inpartnership with Federal, State,Tribal, and other conservationorganizations. For example, wesupport the 100th Meridian Initiativeto help prevent the spread of zebramussels into the West. We also workwithinternationalpartners tocontrol theparasitic sealamprey.

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Above: Laketrout withlamprey andwound

Right: Nativemusselencrusted withzebra mussels

Bottom page:Salmon eggs

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Above: Sturgeonpopulationassessment

Below: FWSpersonnelreleasing fish

Sockeye salmonjumping, BrooksFalls, Alaska

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Fly fishing

Cooperation with Native AmericanTribal NationsWe partner with Tribes to restorefish and wildlife and their habitatsand to develop fishing and hunting

programs. TheSouthwest Regionassists the WhiteMountain ApacheTribe in restoringthe Apache troutand its habitat, aproject started bythe Tribe in the

1940’s. Once listed as “endangered”and facing extinction, the Apachetrout has been up-graded to“threatened” and is near fullrecovery We work closely withTribal governments to fulfill Federaltrust responsibilities to NativeAmerican peoples.

Leadership in Aquatic Science andTechnologyWe provide leadership in thedevelopment and application of state-of-the-art science and technology forthe conservation and management of

fish and other aquaticspecies and their habitats.In the Pacific Region, FishHealth Centers inspecthatchery fish for pathogensand diagnose diseases.Remedial treatments arerecommended to improvefish health management.The health of wild fish isclosely monitored to assistin the recovery ofendangered Pacific salmonand other fish. By carefulmonitoring of fish

population health, we help preventspecies from being listed asthreatened or endangered. Inaddition, Fish Technology Centersapply research, develop newtechnologies, and solve specificproblems in hatchery operations andfisheries management.

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Public UseWe enhance fishing opportunities byimproving habitats and producingmillions of fish for restorationand mitigation of Federalwater projects. In theSoutheast Region, wework in partnershipwith States torelease more than 6million fish annuallyto supportrecreationalfisheries as one wayto mitigate theimpacts of federaldams. We work withNational Wildlife Refugesto provide recreational fishingopportunities. Our Americanheritage includes a rich history ofrecreational fishing; the FisheriesProgram helps assure its rich future.

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Above: Younggirl fishing, NCEugene Hester/USFWS

Left: Childrenfishing

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Aquatic Habitat Conservation andManagement We determine habitat needs for fishpopulations, and identify whereimprovements can be made. Damsand other man-made barriersthreaten many fish populations. Wework with others to provide waterquality, quantity and fish passageneeds in rivers and streams. FisheryResources Offices in the Mountain-Prairie Region develop fish passagefor paddlefish and the endangeredpallid sturgeon, and restore riparianhabitats. Reintroduction ofhatchery-reared pallid sturgeon andpaddlefish, harvest management, andhabitat restoration and protectionhelp ensure the conservation of ourNation’s fisheries.

Conserving America’s FisheriesAmericans love fish. We catch themfor food, income, and recreation. Wephotograph them, display them onwalls, and watch them in aquariums.We pursue them in pristinewilderness and crowded urbanwaters. But America’s vital fishresources are still threatened byhabitat degradation, pollution, dams,competition from invasive speciesand over-harvest.

The Fisheries Program works for thepublic to conserve species and theirhabitats. By diligent application ofsound science, effective managementpractices, and dedicated partnerships,the Fisheries Program helps ensuresustainable use of America’s fish fortoday and tomorrow.

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SWashington OfficeU.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceAssistant Director, Fisheries and HabitatConservation1849 C Street, N.W.Washington, D.C. 20240

Pacific RegionU.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceAssistant Regional Director, Fisheries911 N.E. 11th AvenuePortland, OR 97232-4181

Southwest RegionU.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceAssistant Regional Director, Fisheries500 Gold Avenue, S.W.Albuquerque, NM 87102

Great Lakes - Big Rivers RegionU.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceAssistant Regional Director, Fisheries 1 Federal DriveFort Snelling, MN 55111

Southeast RegionU.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceAssistant Regional Director, Fisheries1875 Century BoulevardAtlanta, GA 30345

Northeast RegionU.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceAssistant Regional Director, Fisheries300 Westgate Center DriveHadley, MA 01035-9589

Mountain Prairie RegionU.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceAssistant Regional Director, FisheriesDenver Federal 1 CenterLakewood, CO 80228-1807

Alaska RegionU.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceAssistant Regional Director, Fisheriesand Ecological Services1011 E. Tudor RoadAnchorage, AK 99503