Overview

Great egret in oil damaged marsh at Bay Jimmy in Baratraia Bay, Louisiana.

Tom MacKenzie/USFWS

Our coasts, rivers, estuaries, wetlands and other natural places are home to spectacular native wildlife and provide Americans with unrivaled places to fish, hunt, and get outdoors. They also play a critical role in our economy, generating revenues in tourism and recreational opportunities, while providing us with clean water and performing countless other important ecological functions.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) works collaboratively with states, tribes, municipalities, private landowners, and industries to keep these special places vibrant and healthy, but oil and chemical spills can hamper those efforts, causing serious and potentially permanent ecological damage.

We work to protect and restore fish, wildlife and their habitats that have been threatened or injured by oil discharges, releases of hazardous substances, or other emerging contaminants of concern. To accomplish this, We provide planning, preparedness, and environmental response leadership; conduct Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) activities with our federal, state, and tribal partners and other stakeholders; and provide analytical chemistry support and technical assistance to the Service and other agencies regarding environmental contaminants.

Learn more about our work to minimize impacts to natural resources from oil spills and hazardous substance releases.

Find more information on the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Program.

Read about our recent accomplishments: 2017 [1.2MB], 2016.

View additional stories regarding environmental response and restoration.

See how our Analytical Control Facility supports efforts to address contaminants and their effects to natural resources.