Conserving America's fisheries: a proud past, a bright future

              Neal and Mary Jane Mishler/USFWS

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Fisheries Program

4401 North Fairfax Drive

Arlington, VA 22203

http://fisheries.fws.gov

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Conserving

America’s

Fisheries

A Proud Past

A Bright Future

Young fishermen at Island Lake

between Red Lodge and Cook City, MT.

CONSERVING

America’s pristine

waters once supported

plentiful and robust

fisheries. Our Nation’s

natural treasures

appeared to be

abundant without end.

The United States

fueled the industrial

revolution with

resources of water,

timber, minerals and

wildlife. Then the fish

began to disappear....

fishing at sunset

Dave Menke/USFWS

Introduction

Farming, industrialization,

population growth, and overharvest

degraded our Nation’s water quality

and fisheries resources. By the mid-

1800’s, fishermen recognized a

decline in fish populations. In 1871,

Spencer Fullerton Baird, Assistant

Secretary of the Smithsonian

Institution, wrote to Congress urging

Federal protection for the Nation’s

fisheries. Baird warned that the

“time is not far distant” that America

will lose fish as a source of

“subsistence and support,” a

“calamity that would involve a vast

number of evils in its train.” Baird’s

warning was echoed by the American

Fish Culturalists’ Association (now

the American Fisheries Society).

Congress responded by creating the

Commission on Fish and Fisheries,

the first Federal agency dedicated to

the conservation of natural

resources. By law,

the Commission

was to determine

if and why

fisheries had

declined and what

actions should be

taken. One year

later, Congress

appropriated

funds for the first

National Fish

Sand and gravel

mining

Fishing

Spencer

Fullerton Baird

Right: McCloud

NFH, California,

1870’s

Below: Brook

Trout illustration

Hatchery. The Commission was the

predecessor of the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service’s Fisheries Program.

Today, America’s fish are still in

trouble. Aquatic habitat is declining

because of erosion and

sedimentation, altered stream flows,

dams and obstructions, pollution and

invasive species. More than 100

kinds of fish are listed under the

Endangered Species Act, and no

fish has been removed from the

list through recovery.

To help restore our fisheries, the

Fisheries Program surveys

populations and habitats, raises

native fish and other species,

and restores habitat to meet

the goals of fisheries

management plans. We

maintain a network of field

stations across the country, including

70 National Fish Hatcheries, 1

Historical National Fish Hatchery, 7

Fish Technology Centers, 9 Fish

Health Centers, 64 Fishery

Resources Offices, and 1 genetics

laboratory.

Fred Youngblood/USFWS

E. Possardt/USFWS

USFWS

USFWS

Duane Raver/USFWS

Aquatic Species Conservation and

Management

Interjurisdictional Fisheries

We work with Federal, Canadian,

State, Tribal and other conservation

partners to restore and manage fish

populations that cross state or

national boundaries. Self-sustaining

populations of freshwater, coastal

and anadromous fish (fish that

reproduce in fresh water

and mature in the ocean)

indicate healthy ecosystems

and provide recreational

and commercial benefits.

In the Northeast Region,

we use the latest science to

restore Atlantic salmon,

striped bass, American

shad, river herring, Atlantic

sturgeon, American eel, and

other interjurisdictional fish

species.

Native Species

We restore declining native fish

populations by protecting and

restoring habitats and reintroducing

fish where appropriate. We work to

recover listed species under the

Endangered Species Act. The Great

Lakes/Big

Rivers Region

identifies

suitable habitats

and releases lake

trout eggs and

yearlings in

Lakes Michigan

and Huron.

We monitor and

evaluate fish populations and

maintain databases to assist partners

in managing fisheries resources. The

natural diversity of Alaska’s fishery

resources is measured by the health,

diversity and relative abundance of

native populations. Long-term

monitoring allows evaluation

of the health, relative

abundance and protective

measures needed to sustain

stocks within an ecosystem.

Aquatic Nuisance Species

We help in preventing and

controlling the spread of

aquatic nuisance species in

partnership with Federal, State,

Tribal, and other conservation

organizations. For example, we

support the 100th Meridian Initiative

to help prevent the spread of zebra

mussels into the West. We also work

with

international

partners to

control the

parasitic sea

lamprey.

Hollingsworth/USFWS

Great Lakes Fishery Commission

Hollingsworth/USFWS

Above: Lake

trout with

lamprey and

wound

Right: Native

mussel

encrusted with

zebra mussels

Bottom page:

Salmon eggs

USFWS

Jeff Slade/USFWS

Above: Sturgeon

population

assessment

Below: FWS

personnel

releasing fish

Sockeye salmon

jumping, Brooks

Falls, Alaska

Greg Syverson/USFWS

Fly fishing

Cooperation with Native American

Tribal Nations

We partner with Tribes to restore

fish and wildlife and their habitats

and to develop fishing and hunting

programs. The

Southwest Region

assists the White

Mountain Apache

Tribe in restoring

the Apache trout

and its habitat, a

project started by

the Tribe in the

1940’s. Once listed as “endangered”

and facing extinction, the Apache

trout has been up-graded to

“threatened” and is near full

recovery We work closely with

Tribal governments to fulfill Federal

trust responsibilities to Native

American peoples.

Leadership in Aquatic Science and

Technology

We provide leadership in the

development and application of state-of-

the-art science and technology for

the conservation and management of

fish and other aquatic

species and their habitats.

In the Pacific Region, Fish

Health Centers inspect

hatchery fish for pathogens

and diagnose diseases.

Remedial treatments are

recommended to improve

fish health management.

The health of wild fish is

closely monitored to assist

in the recovery of

endangered Pacific salmon

and other fish. By careful

monitoring of fish

population health, we help prevent

species from being listed as

threatened or endangered. In

addition, Fish Technology Centers

apply research, develop new

technologies, and solve specific

problems in hatchery operations and

fisheries management.

Fisheries

Assistant

Steve Hillebrand/USFWS

Public Use

We enhance fishing opportunities by

improving habitats and producing

millions of fish for restoration

and mitigation of Federal

water projects. In the

Southeast Region, we

work in partnership

with States to

release more than 6

million fish annually

to support

recreational

fisheries as one way

to mitigate the

impacts of federal

dams. We work with

National Wildlife Refuges

to provide recreational fishing

opportunities. Our American

heritage includes a rich history of

recreational fishing; the Fisheries

Program helps assure its rich future.

Apache trout

USFWS

George Gentry/USFWS

Above: Young

girl fishing, NC

Eugene Hester/USFWS

Left: Children

fishing

Carl Zitzman/USFWS

Aquatic Habitat Conservation and

Management

We determine habitat needs for fish

populations, and identify where

improvements can be made. Dams

and other man-made barriers

threaten many fish populations. We

work with others to provide water

quality, quantity and fish passage

needs in rivers and streams. Fishery

Resources Offices in the Mountain-

Prairie Region develop fish passage

for paddlefish and the endangered

pallid sturgeon, and restore riparian

habitats. Reintroduction of

hatchery-reared pallid sturgeon and

paddlefish, harvest management, and

habitat restoration and protection

help ensure the conservation of our

Nation’s fisheries.

Conserving America’s Fisheries

Americans love fish. We catch them

for food, income, and recreation. We

photograph them, display them on

walls, and watch them in aquariums.

We pursue them in pristine

wilderness and crowded urban

waters. But America’s vital fish

resources are still threatened by

habitat degradation, pollution, dams,

competition from invasive species

and over-harvest.

The Fisheries Program works for the

public to conserve species and their

habitats. By diligent application of

sound science, effective management

practices, and dedicated partnerships,

the Fisheries Program helps ensure

sustainable use of America’s fish for

today and tomorrow.

Left: Breaching

dam

Scott Carney/USFWS

Washington Office

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Assistant Director, Fisheries and Habitat

Conservation

1849 C Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20240

Pacific Region

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Assistant Regional Director, Fisheries

911 N.E. 11th Avenue

Portland, OR 97232-4181

Southwest Region

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Assistant Regional Director, Fisheries

500 Gold Avenue, S.W.

Albuquerque, NM 87102

Great Lakes - Big Rivers Region

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Assistant Regional Director, Fisheries

1 Federal Drive

Fort Snelling, MN 55111

Southeast Region

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Assistant Regional Director, Fisheries

1875 Century Boulevard

Atlanta, GA 30345

Northeast Region

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Assistant Regional Director, Fisheries

300 Westgate Center Drive

Hadley, MA 01035-9589

Mountain Prairie Region

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Assistant Regional Director, Fisheries

Denver Federal 1 Center

Lakewood, CO 80228-1807

Alaska Region

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Assistant Regional Director, Fisheries

and Ecological Services

1011 E. Tudor Road

Anchorage, AK 99503