 Seal of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service | |
 Flag of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service | |
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| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | Fish and Wildlife Service: June 30, 1940; 85 years ago (1940-06-30)U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: 1956; 69 years ago |
| Preceding agency | |
| Jurisdiction | federal government |
| Headquarters | Bailey's Crossroads, Virginia[1] 38°50′46″N77°7′12″W / 38.84611°N 77.12000°W /38.84611; -77.12000 |
| Employees | ~ 8,000[2] |
| Annual budget | $1.58 billion (2021)[3] |
| Agency executives |
|
| Parent department | United States Department of the Interior |
| Website | fws.gov |
TheUnited States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS orFWS) is aU.S. federal government agency within theUnited States Department of the Interior which oversees the management offish,wildlife, and naturalhabitats in the United States. 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".[2]
The original ancestor of the agency was theUnited States Commission on Fish and Fisheries, more commonly referred to as theUnited States Fish Commission, created in 1871 by theUnited States Congress with the purpose of studying and recommending solutions to a noted decline in thestocks offood fish.[4]Spencer Fullerton Baird was appointed to lead it as the first United States Commissioner of Fisheries.[5] In 1903, the Fish Commission was reorganized as theUnited States Bureau of Fisheries and made part of theUnited States Department of Commerce and Labor.[6]
When the Department of Commerce and Labor was split into theUnited States Department of Commerce and theUnited States Department of Labor in 1913, the Bureau of Fisheries was made part of the Department of Commerce.[7] Originally focused onfisheries science andfish culture, the Bureau of Fisheries also assumed other duties; in 1906, the U.S. Congress assigned it the responsibility for the enforcement offishery andfur seal-hunting regulations in theDistrict of Alaska,[8] and in 1910 for the management and harvest ofnorthern fur seals, foxes, and other fur-bearing animals in thePribilof Islands, as well as for the care, education, and welfare of theAleut communities in the islands.[9] In 1939, the Bureau of Fisheries moved from the Department of Commerce to the Department of the Interior.[10]
The other ancestor of the agency began as theSection of Economic Ornithology, which was established within theUnited States Department of Agriculture in 1885 and became theDivision of Economic Ornithology and Mammalogy in 1886.[11] In 1896 it became theDivision of Biological Survey.Clinton Hart Merriam headed the Division for 25 years and became a national figure for improving the scientific understanding of birds andmammals in the United States.
By 1905 with funding scarce, the Survey included in its mission the eradication of wolves, coyotes and other large predators. This garnered them the support of ranchers and western legislators resulting, by 1914, in a $125,000 congressionally approved budget for destroying wolves, coyotes and other animals injurious to agriculture and animal husbandry.[12] Meanwhile, scientists likeJoseph Grinnell and Charles C. Adams, a founder of theEcological Society of America, were promoting abalance of nature. In 1924, at a conference organized by theAmerican Society of Mammalogists, the debate generated a public split between those in the Survey, promoting eradication, and the mammalogists who promoted some sort of accommodation.[13] The Survey subsequently placed over 2 million poisoned bait stations across the west. The Survey then turned to the eradication of coyote,[12]: 124–126 coordinated through the1931 Animal Damage Control Act.
In 1934, the Division of Biological Survey was reorganized as theBureau of Biological Survey andJay Norwood Darling was appointed its chief;. The same year, Congress passed theFish and Wildlife Coordination Act, one of the oldest federal environmental review statutes.[14] Under Darling's guidance, the Bureau began an ongoing legacy of protecting vital natural habitat throughout the United States. In 1939, the Bureau of Biological Survey moved from the Department of Agriculture to the Department of the Interior.
On June 30, 1940, the Bureau of Fisheries and the Bureau of Biological Survey were combined to form the Department of the Interior'sFish and Wildlife Service. In 1956, the Fish and Wildlife Service was reorganized as theUnited States Fish and Wildlife Service — which remained part of the Department of the Interior — and divided its operations into two bureaus, theBureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife and theBureau of Commercial Fisheries, with the latter inheriting the history and heritage of the old U.S. Fish Commission and U.S. Bureau of Fisheries.[15]
In 1970, theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was formed within theDepartment of Commerce. That year, the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries merged with thesaline water laboratories of the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife. This led to the creation of today'sNational Marine Fisheries Service, which also acquired theformer fleet of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.[16]
The use of poisonedbait stations continued into the early 1970s. Although it resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands ofcoyotes, this method failed to significantly reduce their population. Instead, due to their remarkable adaptability and resilience, coyotes migrated into a wider range ofhabitats, even venturing into urban areas. Driven by growing environmental awareness in the late 1960s and early 1970s,Richard Nixon banned poisons used since theSecond World War and signed theEndangered Species Act of 1973.[12] In 1985Ronald Reagan reversed the poison killing ban and transferred the responsibility for predator control to theWildlife Services program under theDepartment of Agriculture.[17][18]
The agency plays a vital role in wildlife andhabitat conservation through various key functions, including protectingnative species, managingmigratory bird populations, restoringfisheries to supportecosystems, conserving vital habitats likewetlands, and overseeing wildlife efforts onmilitary bases per theSikes Act.[2]
The agency manages the National Wildlife Refuge System, guided by theNational Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, which consists of 570National Wildlife Refuges, encompassing a full range of habitat types, includingwetlands,prairies, coastal and marine areas, and temperate,tundra, andboreal forests spread across all 50 U.S. states. It also manages thousands of smallwetlands and other areas covering over 150 million acres.[19]
The agency participates in the governance of sixNational Monuments:
The agency shares responsibility for administering theEndangered Species Act of 1973 with theNational Marine Fisheries Service. The latter is responsible formarine species, while the agency overseesfreshwater fish and all other species. The two organizations jointly manage species that inhabit both marine and non-marine environments. To manage the listing process, alisting priority number is assigned to candidate species to reflect the relative urgency of listing them asthreatened orendangered when an immediate listing is not feasible.[21] The agency publishes the quarterlyEndangered Species Bulletin.
TheNational Conservation Training Center trains employees and partners in the accomplishment of the agency's mission. The vast majority of fish and wildlife habitats are on state or private land not controlled by theUnited States government. Therefore, the agency'sPartners for Fish and Wildlife program works closely with private groups such asPartners in Flight,National Wildlife Refuge Association, and theLandscape conservation cooperatives to promote voluntaryhabitat conservation and restoration.[22]
TheMigratory Bird Program aims to protect and conserve bird populations and habitats. It ensures ecological sustainability, enhances opportunities forbirdwatching and other outdoor activities, and promotes awareness of the importance ofmigratory birds. To achieve these goals, the program utilizes resources such as theNational Wetlands Inventory to map and monitor critical wetland habitats. The program conducts surveys, coordinates conservation partnerships, offers conservation grants, develops policies, and manages conservation laws, such as theMigratory Bird Conservation Act, educates children, and provides resources for engaging with nature and birds.[23]
The agency organizes the annual art competition for theFederal Duck Stamp, formally known as theMigratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, acollectable adhesive stamp required forwaterfowl hunting. It also allows access toNational Wildlife Refuges without paying an admission fee.[24] Since 1934, sales of Federal Duck Stamps have generated over $1.2 billion, which has enabled the conservation of more than 6 million acres ofwetlandshabitat. This makes the Duck Stamp one of the most successfulwetland conservation revenue programs in history, with over 98% of the funds directly supporting the acquisition of wetlands and conservation easements for theNational Wildlife Refuge System.[25]
The agency oversees theNational Fish Hatchery System which includes71 fish hatcheries and 65 conservation offices.[26] Originally created to reverse declines in lake and coastal fish stocks, the program subsequently expanded its mission to include the preservation of the genes of wild and hatchery-raised fish. The fish hatcheries contribute to the restoration of native fish populations, freshwatermussels, andamphibians including populations of species listed under theEndangered Species Act, and providing fish to benefitNative Americans andnature reserves.[27][28]
TheNational Fish Passage Program provides financial and technical resources to projects that promote the free movement of fish and aquatic life. Common projects includedam removal andfishway construction. Between 1999 and 2023, the program has worked with over 2,000 local partners to open 61,000 mi (98,000 km) of upstream habitat by removing or bypassing 3,400 aquatic barriers.[29] The agency also plays a key role both in protecting sensitivemarine coastal ecosystems under theCoastal Barrier Resources Act and in conducting evaluations of the impacts on fish and wildlife resulting from proposedwater resources development projects, in accordance with theFish and Wildlife Coordination Act.
TheOffice of Law Enforcement enforces wildlife laws such as theMarine Mammal Protection Act, theMigratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, and theLacey Act of 1900. The Refuge Law Enforcement officers safeguard National Wildlife Refuges, playing a vital role in preventinghabitat destruction.[30] The office also provides training to law enforcement officers, and collaborates withtribal partners to conserve wildlife resources.
The International Affairs Program coordinates national and global initiatives to protect, restore, and enhance wildlife and habitats, with a focus on species of international concern. It fulfills obligations under internationaltreaties, such asCITES. The program collaborates with private citizens, local communities, government agencies, conservation organizations, and other stakeholders to implement treaties and laws and conserve species worldwide.[31]
The agency operates theClark R. Bavin National Fish and Wildlife Forensic Laboratory, the onlyforensics laboratory in the world devoted towildlifelaw enforcement. By treaty, it also is the official crime laboratory forCITES andInterpol. The laboratory identifies thespecies orsubspecies of pieces, parts, or products of an animal to determine its cause of death, help wildlife officers determine if a violation of law occurred in its death, and to identify and compare physical evidence to link suspects to the crime scene and the animal's death.
Pursuant to theEagle feather law and theBald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, the agency administers theNational Eagle Repository and the permit system forNative American religious use of eagle feathers.[32] These exceptions often only apply to Native Americans that are registered with the federal government and are enrolled with a federally recognized tribe.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the agency began to incorporate the research of tribal scientists into conservation decisions.[33] This came on the heels of Native Americantraditional ecological knowledge gaining acceptance in the scientific community as a reasonable and respectable way to gain knowledge of managing the natural world.[34][35] Additionally, other natural resource agencies within the United States government, such as theUnited States Department of Agriculture, have taken steps to be more inclusive of tribes, native people, and tribal rights.[36] This has marked a transition to a relationship of more co-operation rather than the tension between tribes and government agencies seen historically. Today, these agencies work closely with tribal governments to ensure the best conservation decisions are made and that tribes retain their sovereignty.[37][33]
Tom Lehrer's satirical song,Poisoning Pigeons in the Park, gained notoriety in 1959 for its criticism against the agency's Animal Damage Control program's cruel practice of poisoning pigeons.[38] This program was in 1985 transferred to theDepartment of Agriculture and renamedWildlife Services.[39]
In the 2017contemporary Western crime filmWind River,Jeremy Renner plays a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Servicetracker who teams up with an FBI agent to solve a murder in theWind River Indian Reservation.[40]
