The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is an agency of federal
government within the U.S. Department of the Interior which is dedicated to the
management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the
agency is "working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish,
wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American
people." The leader of the FWS is the director of
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Daniel M. Ashe, of Maryland, who was
confirmed on June 30, 2011, succeeding Sam Hamilton.
Among the service's responsibilities are enforcing federal wildlife laws,
protecting endangered species, managing migratory birds, restoring nationally
significant fisheries, conserving and restoring wildlife habitat, such as
wetlands, helping foreign governments with their international conservation
efforts, and distributing money to states' fish and wildlife agencies
through the Wildlife Sport Fish and Restoration program.
Units within the FWS include: National Wildlife Refuge System
Division of Migratory Bird Management Federal Duck Stamp
National Fish Hatchery System Endangered Species program
United States Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement
Clark R. Bavin National Fish and Wildlife Forensic Laboratory
Landscape Conservation Cooperatives The vast majority of fish and wildlife
habitat is on non-federal lands. Therefore, the Fish and Wildlife Agency
works closely with private groups such as The Partners for Fish and Wildlife,
Partners in Flight, Sport Fishing and The Boating Partnership Council, to
assist voluntary habitat conservation and restoration.
The FWS employs approximately 9,000 people at facilities across the U.S. The
FWS consists of a central administrative office with eight regional offices and
nearly 700 field offices distributed throughout the United States.
History The USFWS originated in 1871 as the
United States Commission on Fish and Fisheries, more commonly referred to as
the United States Fish Commission, created by the United States Congress
with the purpose of studying and recommending solutions to a noted
decline in the stocks of food fish. Spencer Fullerton Baird was appointed
its first commissioner. In 1903, the Fish Commission was reorganized as the
United States Bureau of Fisheries. In 1885–1886, the Division of Economic
Ornithology and Mammalogy was established within the United States
Department of Agriculture. In 1896 it became the Division of Biological
Survey. Its early work focused on the effect of birds in controlling
agricultural pests and mapping the geographical distribution of plants and
animals in the United States. Clinton Hart Merriam headed the Bureau for 25
years and became a national figure for improving the scientific understanding
of birds and mammals in the United States. Jay Norwood Darling was
appointed Chief of the new Bureau of Biological Survey in 1934; the same year
Congress passed the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, one of the oldest
federal environmental review statutes. Under Darling's guidance, the Bureau
began an ongoing legacy of protecting vital natural habitat throughout the
country. The USFWS was finally created in 1940, when the Bureaus of Fisheries
and Biological Survey were combined after being moved to the Department of
the Interior. Pursuant to the eagle feather law, Title
50, Part 22 of the Code of Federal Regulations, and the Bald and Golden
Eagle Protection Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service administers the
National Eagle Repository and the permit system for Native American religious use
of eagle feathers. The Service governs five National
Monuments; Hanford Reach National Monument in Washington state;
Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, a huge maritime area in the
northwestern Hawaiian Islands and the State of Hawaii); Pacific Remote Islands
Marine National Monument, the largest marine protected area in the world), and
the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument including undersea mud
volcanoes, vents, chemosynthetic organisms, and much of the deepest
points on Earth. See also
Federal law enforcement in the United States
= Related governmental agencies = National Fish and Wildlife Forensics
Laboratory National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration Fisheries Office for Law Enforcement
National Marine Fisheries Service National Park Service
Partners for Fish and Wildlife United States Coast Guard
United States Geological Survey = Regulatory matters =
Coastal Barrier Resources Act Endangered Species Act
Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act Lacey Act
Listing priority number Marine Mammal Protection Act
Migratory Bird Treaty Act Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918
National Wetlands Inventory National Wildlife Refuge System
Administration Act of 1966 Sikes Act
Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992 = Wildlife management =
International Migratory Bird Day Timeline of environmental events
Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research United States Fish and Wildlife Service
list of endangered species Sierra Club v. Babbitt
= Other related topics = Arizona Game and Fish Department
National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation
National Wildlife Refuge Association North American Game Warden Museum
References Further reading
U.S. fishery agency Annual Reports 1871-1940 and 1947-1979
Director of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service dies at Keystone
DOI Secretary Ken Salazar's Statement on the Passing of Fish and Wildlife Service
Director Sam Hamilton "Biological Survey, Bureau of".
Encyclopedia Americana. 1920. External links
Official website Fish and Wildlife Service in the Federal
Register FWS Midwest Region
FWS Southwest Region Lower Great Lakes Fishery Resources
Office Technical Report Archive and Image
Library Historic technical reports from the Fish and Wildlife Service