Fish and Aquatic Conservation
We work to conserve America's aquatic resources for present and future generations. (Photo: Larry Jernigan/USFWS)
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Notice
Although most hatchery lands and outdoor spaces have remained open for the public to enjoy, we encourage you to:
- Check local hatchery conditions before visiting
- Follow current CDC safe practices by maintaining a safe distance between yourself and other groups
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
- Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze
- Most importantly, stay home if you feel sick
Learn more about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Coronavirus Response.
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
Casting for Community Connections
How one national fish hatchery became a lifeline during a challenging time.
September 2020
Right now, it is easy to get caught up in everything we can’t do. With safety restrictions in place, many of us miss the yearly milestones that define our summer and autumn months. From fireworks and fairs to concerts and fishing tournaments, we can’t help but yearn for these moments that bring us together.
Communities are rising to the challenge, finding creative and safe ways to connect with one another whether through social media or social distancing. Our national wildlife refuges and fish hatcheries have stepped up, as well, providing virtual programming like this live series from John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum in Philadelphia or this butterfly walk recorded by staff at Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge in Connecticut. We’ve reached out to visitors through crafts and scavenger hunts, with mindfulness-minute videos and photography contests.
While these creative alternatives have been met with enthusiasm (and we have been more than happy to provide environmental interpretation), we are a fish and wildlife organization. If we can inspire visitors to do only one thing, it’s to head outdoors.
Baker Holden III, deputy project leader, Lodi FWO
September 2020 | By Peter Pearsall
You’ve worked for the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management, and this is your second stint with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Why did you come back?
I like the mission, and I found the culture was welcoming and one I could thrive in. I saw opportunities here because it’s all about what you do and what you can bring as a person. They’re making a big effort to support diversity, talk about it openly and take concrete steps to move forward.
What is special to you about the Service's mission?
People know the Service lists endangered and threatened species, but we also do oil spill response, we manage invasive species, and this is where the national fish hatcheries are held. There’s variety to the mission, and all of it converges around protecting natural resources for future generations.
How did you get interested in becoming a biologist?
I used to go fishing and hunting with my father and uncle when I was growing up in Arkansas, and I’d get a comparative anatomy lesson from my father on the fish and squirrel and rabbit, and also learn the importance of balance: Only take what we need. When I got to college, I had a temporary job with the U.S. Forest Service in Gasquet, California, which was a great experience. I learned something new every day and experienced new things. It was the first time I’d snorkeled and learned how to identify fish and salamanders, the first time I went camping. It had me hooked.
How has your career path influenced your approach as the Lodi FWO’s deputy project leader?
The job I have now was not in my perspective of life opportunities as a teenager. So I’m developing a program to reach out to people about opportunities working in natural resources. We do events locally, where we try to provide individuals a first-time positive experience with natural resource activities, particularly individuals who might not have thought of it as a career option before. One example was a program earlier this year, when our biologists worked with Riverview Middle School students to help them sample river water and conduct measurements and experiments.
What advice do you have for young people starting out in the Service?
Be nice to everyone and treat everyone with respect and dignity. That’s a goal I strive for personally. But the federal service is also more connected than you know, and it comes around. If you have a long career in the federal service, you never know who’s going to be your boss.
Baker Holden III grew up in West Helena, Arkansas, a small town in the heart of Delta Blues country. While earning a bachelor of science degree in biology from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, he worked summers for the U.S. Forest Service on what is now Smith River National Recreation Area. He has since worked in natural resource management at several California sites as well as in New Mexico, Oregon and Washington state. He and his wife, Laura, married in 2002 and have two children, 11-year-old Samara and 6-year-old Graham. Baker is also a singer and “very so-so guitar player” who collects video games and comic books, and enjoys fishing, nature watching and knitting.
Perkinsville Culvert Replacement
August 2020
This time lapse video shows a crew from the US Fish and Wildlife Service installing a pre-fabricated bridge in Perkinsville, VT to restore the free flow of a tributary to the Mill Brook in the Upper Connecticut River basin. The bridge replaces an undersized culvert that blocked fish passage and created an erosion issue. The project also involved the removal of a small dam approximately 200 ft upstream of the bridge site. The project reopens access for brook trout to high quality habitat in cooler tributary streams for spawning and rearing.
Time lapse video compiled by Dave Sagan (NWRS)