Fish and Aquatic Conservation
We work to conserve America's aquatic resources for present and future generations. (Photo: Larry Jernigan/USFWS)
We work with our partners and engage the public, using a science-based approach,
to conserve, restore
and enhance fish and other aquatic resources for the
continuing benefit of the American people.
Recent News
Wisconsin’s Fort McCoy honored with military conservation partner award
JULY 15, 2019
On July 11, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Aurelia Skipwith presented the Military Conservation Partnership Award to Fort McCoy, Wisconsin for their excellence in habitat restoration and wildlife management. The first Midwest Region installation to receive the award, Fort McCoy recently completed 107 high priority conservation projects, exceeding a 98% completion rate.
In her remarks Skipwith thanked Garrison Commander Colonel Hui Chae Kim and the Fort McCoy Natural Resource Branch, which fosters the wise stewardship of natural and cultural resources to support and sustain a realistic military training environment, biological diversity, the integrity of sensitive or unique sites and commercial and recreational opportunities.
A Look Inside the National Fish Hatchery and Archives
JULY 15, 2019
Channeling William Faulkner: “The past isn’t dead. It isn’t even past.”
The past is present here at D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery and Archives in Spearfish, South Dakota. The facility is dedicated to preserving images, documents and objects related to fisheries conservation. The archive is located at one of the oldest operating hatcheries in the U.S., which still produces trout.
Barton Warren Evermann, Chief of Scientific Inquiry of the U.S. Fish Commission (the forerunner of today’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service created nearly 150 years ago in 1871) came to the Black Hills in the early 1890s to assess the area’s fisheries.
On what now seems like a pittance, Congress granted Evermann in August 1892, “for investigation and report, respecting the advisability of establishing fish-hatching stations at suitable points in the States of South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska, $1,000, or as much thereof as may be necessary.”
We don’t have an accounting of what was spent, but he noted what streams he seined, the fishes he found, and with whom he traveled.
America’s Anglers Reach Record-Breaking Diversity
Contact: David Rodgers | drodgers@rbff.org | 703-253-7268
2019 Special Report on Fishing Reveals All-Time High Female and Hispanic Participation
ALEXANDRIA, VA (July 18, 2019) – America’s anglers are more diverse than ever, a key finding of the 2019 Special Report on Fishing, released today by the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF). Both women and Hispanics are casting their lines in record-breaking numbers, with 17.7 million and 4.4 million participants, respectively.
“It’s often assumed that all anglers look alike,” says Stephanie Vatalaro, RBFF’s Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications. “Our mission is to welcome everyone to the water — because if you want to learn to fish, you should have that opportunity no matter who you are. And while our work isn’t over, it’s clear from these results that the tides are changing.”
In addition to record-breaking diversity, other highlights from the Special Report on Fishing include:- 49.4 million Americans participate in fishing annually.
- Americans go fishing a cumulative 883 million days annually, or 17.9 days each year per person.
- More non-anglers than ever, 33.9 million people, are interested in trying fishing.
- Parents are 45 percent more likely to go fishing than adults without children.
- More than 3 in 4 anglers view fishing’s environmental benefits as one reason they participate in the activity.
