The United States Fish and Wildlife Service ( USFWS or FWS) is a U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior which oversees the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats 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".
History
Fish Commission and Bureau of Fisheries
The original ancestor of USFWS was the
United States Commission on Fish and Fisheries, more commonly referred to as the
United States Fish Commission, created in 1871 by the United States Congress with the purpose of studying and recommending solutions to a noted decline in the
Fish stocks of food fish.
Spencer Fullerton Baird was appointed to lead it as the first United States Commissioner of Fisheries.
In 1903, the Fish Commission was reorganized as the
United States Bureau of Fisheries and made part of the United States Department of Commerce and Labor.
When the Department of Commerce and Labor was split into the United States Department of Commerce and the United States Department of Labor in 1913, the Bureau of Fisheries was made part of the Department of Commerce.
Bureau of Biological Survey
The other ancestor of the USFWS began as the
Section of Economic Ornithology, which was established within the United States Department of Agriculture in 1885 and became the
Division of Economic Ornithology and Mammalogy in 1886.
In 1896 it became the
Division of Biological Survey. Clinton Hart Merriam headed the Division for 25 years and became a national figure for improving the scientific understanding of birds and
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.
In 1934, the Division of Biological Survey was reorganized as the Bureau of Biological Survey and Jay Norwood Darling was appointed its chief;. The same year, Congress passed the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (FWCA), one of the oldest federal environmental review statutes.[Rosenberg, Ronald H., and Olson, Allen H., Federal Environmental Review Requirements Other than NEPA: The Emerging Challenge (1978). CLEVELAND STATE LAW REVIEW Vol. FEDERAL ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW. In Faculty Publications. Paper 672. College of William and Mary Law School] 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.
Fish and Wildlife Service
On June 30, 1940, the Bureau of Fisheries and the Bureau of Biological Survey were combined to form the Department of the Interior's
Fish and Wildlife Service. In 1956, the Fish and Wildlife Service was reorganized as the
United States Fish and Wildlife Service — which remained part of the Department of the Interior — and divided its operations into two bureaus, the
Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife and the
Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, with the latter inheriting the history and heritage of the old U.S. Fish Commission and U.S. Bureau of Fisheries.
In 1970, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was formed within the Department of Commerce. That year, the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries merged with the saline water laboratories of the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife. This led to the creation of today's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) which also acquired the former fleet of USFWS.
The use of poisoned bait stations continued into the early 1970s. Although it resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of , this method failed to significantly reduce their population. Instead, due to their remarkable adaptability and resilience, coyotes migrated into a wider range of , even venturing into urban areas. Increasing environmental awareness in the late 1960s and early 1970s resulted in Richard Nixon banning post-World War II-era poisons in 1972 and the passage of the Endangered Species Act in 1973.
Habitat conservation
The agency plays a vital role in wildlife and habitat conservation through various key functions, including protecting
native species, managing
Bird migration populations, restoring
Fishery to support
, conserving vital habitats like
, and overseeing wildlife efforts on
per the
Sikes Act.
National Wildlife Refuge System
The agency manages the National Wildlife Refuge System, guided by the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, which consists of 570 National Wildlife Refuges, encompassing a full range of habitat types, including
,
, coastal and marine areas, and temperate,
tundra, and
spread across all 50 U.S. states. It also manages thousands of small
and other areas covering over 150 million acres.
National Monuments
The agency participates in the governance of six National Monuments:
-
The Hanford Reach National Monument in Washington state;
-
The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, a huge maritime area in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands;
-
The Aleutian Islands World War II National Monument in the Aleutian Islands in Alaska;
-
The Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument, the largest marine protected area in the world;
-
The Rose Atoll Marine National Monument in American Samoa;
-
The Marianas Trench Marine National Monument, which includes undersea , vents, chemosynthetic organisms, and many of the deepest points on Earth.
Endangered species
The agency shares responsibility for administering the Endangered Species Act of 1973 with the National Marine Fisheries Service. The latter is responsible for
Marine biology, while the agency oversees
freshwater fish and all other species. The two organizations jointly manage species that inhabit both marine and non-marine environments. To manage the listing process, a listing priority number is assigned to candidate species to reflect the relative urgency of listing them as threatened or endangered when an immediate listing is not feasible.
The agency publishes the quarterly
Endangered Species Bulletin.
National Conservation Training Center
The
National 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 the United States government. Therefore, the agency's Partners for Fish and Wildlife program works closely with private groups such as Partners in Flight, National Wildlife Refuge Association, and the Landscape conservation cooperatives to promote voluntary habitat conservation and restoration.
Migratory bird program
The
Migratory Bird Program aims to protect and conserve bird populations and habitats. It ensures ecological sustainability, enhances opportunities for
birdwatching and other outdoor activities, and promotes awareness of the importance of
Bird migration. To achieve these goals, the program utilizes resources such as the National 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 the Migratory Bird Conservation Act, educates children, and provides resources for engaging with nature and birds.
Federal Duck Stamp
The agency organizes the annual art competition for the Federal Duck Stamp, formally known as the
Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, a
collectable adhesive stamp required for waterfowl hunting. It also allows access to National Wildlife Refuges without paying an admission fee.
Since 1934, sales of Federal Duck Stamps have generated over $1.2 billion, which has enabled the conservation of more than 6 million acres of
habitat. This makes the Duck Stamp one of the most successful wetland conservation revenue programs in history, with over 98% of the funds directly supporting the acquisition of wetlands and conservation easements for the National Wildlife Refuge System.
Restoring fisheries
The agency oversees the National Fish Hatchery System which includes 70 fish hatcheries and 65 conservation offices. 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, freshwater
, and
including populations of species listed under the Endangered Species Act, and providing fish to benefit Native Americans and
.
The National Fish Passage Program provides financial and technical resources to projects that promote the free movement of fish and aquatic life. Common projects include dam removal and fishway construction. Between 1999 and 2023, the program has worked with over 2,000 local partners to open of upstream habitat by removing or bypassing 3,400 aquatic barriers.
Law enforcement
The Office of Law Enforcement enforces wildlife laws such as the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, and the Lacey Act of 1900. The office also provides training to law enforcement officers, and collaborates with tribal partners to conserve wildlife resources.
Refuge Law Enforcement
United States Fish and Wildlife Service Refuge Law Enforcement consists of professional law enforcement officers entrusted with protecting natural resources and public safety.
Federal Wildlife Officers promote the survival of species and health of the environment by ensuring that wildlife laws are followed. They also welcome visitors and are often the first U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees encountered by the public on refuges. Federal Wildlife Officers (FWO) are entrusted with protecting natural resources, visitors and employees on National Wildlife Refuge System lands.
International Affairs Program
The USFWS International Affairs Program coordinates domestic and international efforts to protect, restore, and enhance wildlife and its habitats, focusing on species of international concern, fulfilling the USFWS's international responsibilities under about 40
Treaty, such as
CITES. It oversees programs which work with private citizens, local communities, other U.S. Government and U.S. state agencies, foreign governments, non-governmental organizations, scientific and conservation organizations, industry groups. and other interested parties on issues related to the implementation of treaties and laws and the conservation of species around the world.
Fish and Wildlife Forensic Laboratory
The USFWS operates the Clark R. Bavin National Fish and Wildlife Forensic Laboratory, the only
forensic science laboratory in the world devoted to
wildlife law enforcement. By treaty, it also is the official crime laboratory for
CITES and
Interpol. The laboratory identifies the
species or
subspecies 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.
Tribal relations
Pursuant to the eagle feather law, Title 50, Part 22 of the Code of Federal Regulations (50 CFR 22), and the
Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, the USFWS administers the National Eagle Repository and the permit system for Native American religious use of eagle feathers.
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 USFWS began to incorporate the research of tribal scientists into conservation decisions.[Banegas, Diane, "Native American Students Mentored by Forest Service Scientists,"
]
.
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.
In popular culture
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.
This program was in 1980 transferred to the Department of Agriculture and renamed Wildlife Services.
In the 2017 contemporary Western crime film Wind River, Jeremy Renner plays a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service tracker who teams up with an FBI agent to solve a murder in the Wind River Indian Reservation.
External links
(
Environmental Agencies In The United States
)
