Based in Fairbanks, and in collaboration with our Utqiaġvik (Barrow) Satellite Office, we work with others to deliver conservation over approximately 338-million acres of Alaska. Our responsibilities generally range from the Yukon River Delta region in southwest Alaska, eastward to the Canadian border and northward. Our work also involves offshore federal waters in the Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort seas.

About Us

Our staff work in an area that stretches across the northern part of Alaska. 

What We Do

We specialize in ecology, biology, fisheries science and management, project evaluation and mitigation, statistics, environmental contaminants, and working with federally-qualified subsistence users. We work side-by-side with myriad partners to understand, protect and restore aquatic resources of northern Alaska, assist management of subsistence fish species and uphold the U.S.-Canada Yukon River Salmon Agreement, assess, minimize and mitigate the impacts of large-scale development projects, recover listed eider species, restore degraded habitats, and build positive relationships with others to conserve fish, wildlife and their habitats for the American people and future generations. Some of the services we provide within the communities we serve include technical assistance, funding, and conservation capacity and guidance. 

Services
Butterfly rests on tall flowering plant.

The purpose of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is to provide a means to conserve the ecosystems upon which endangered and threatened species depend and provide a program for the conservation of such species. The ESA directs all federal agencies to participate in conserving these species....

A bird nest with three chicks in it.

Birds are most sensitive during breeding and nesting, when vegetation clearing, ground disturbance, and other site construction activities can destroy active bird nests, eggs, or nestlings. The most effective way to protect nesting birds is to conduct these activities before or after the...

streambank with ferns

We provide funding and technical expertise for projects that restore and protect fish habitat. Examples of past successful projects include:

Bank stabilization using natural materials (like rootwads and cabled spruce trees) and bioengineering. Light-penetrating gratewalks, decks...
woman holding survey equipment

The National Fish Passage Program provides financial and technical assistance for projects that improve the ability of fish or other aquatic species to migrate by reconnecting habitat that has been fragmented by a barrier such as a dam or culvert. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists...

Two brown birds and one birds with a white and green head and orange bill rest on the water.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provides technical assistance to help reduce human vessel interactions with avian species listed under U.S. Endangered Species Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Birds flying in the marine environment are not expecting to encounter vertical structures...

The wetlands of the Yukon Delta

In anticipation of substantial expansion of broadband capability in Alaska, the Alaska Region of the US Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has compiled Best Management Practices (BMPs) for project proponents to consider early in the planning and project development process to avoid and minimize...

Our Organization

A rocky shoreline of a river. The water is calm. Mist and green branches line the river.
The Ecological Services Program works to restore and protect healthy populations of fish, wildlife, and plants and the environments upon which they depend. Using the best available science, we work with federal, state, Tribal, local, and non-profit stakeholders, as well as private land owners, to...
Juvenile Northern Pike in aquarium at Gavins Point National Fish Hatchery, South Dakota
The Fish and Aquatic Conservation program leads aquatic conservation efforts for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. We are committed to tackling the nation’s highest priority aquatic conservation and recreational challenges to conserve, restore, and enhance fisheries for future generations.
A person is walks through a large wide culvert that passes under a gravel road. A small river runs through the culvert.
Across the country, millions of barriers are fragmenting rivers, blocking fish migration, and putting communities at higher risk to flooding. Improving fish passage is one of the most effective ways to help conserve vulnerable species while building safer infrastructure for communities and...
Partners for Fish and Wildlife: Nevada Coordinator Susan Abele Meets with Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Member to Conduct a Site Visit at Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation
The Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program provides free technical and financial assistance to landowners, managers, tribes, corporations, schools and nonprofits interested in improving wildlife habitat on their land. Since 1987, we have helped more than 30,000 landowners to complete more than 50,...

Projects and Research

In the spring of 2004, thawing permafrost caused a large landslide (slump) in the upper Selawik River within Alaska's Selawik National Wildlife Refuge. As the slump grew it discharged tons of sediment upstream of the Selawik sheefish population's spawning grounds. This fish is an important Refuge fixture and year-round subsistence food for the Inupiat people living in the Selawik/Kotzebue...

When woolly mammoths still roamed Earth, rain and snow fell on the south side of Alaska’s Brooks Range. Those same ancient waters are just now entering frozen rivers on Alaska’s North Slope via perennial springs. And they hold the key to survival for salmon-sized Dolly Varden and several other species of fish in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Read more about Alaska's North Slope...

This multi-year project has sought to reconnect habitat and restore fish passage in Fairbanks, Alaska.  

Cripple Creek’s natural channel was abandoned in 1935 when streamflow was diverted into an artificial drain constructed to carry wastewater and sediment from hydraulic mining activity in the Ester area. Though mining activity ceased years ago, the drain channel...

The Federal Subsistence Board has given Delegated Authority to the Federal Inseason Fishery manager to manage subsistence fishing for salmon in all Federal Public waters of the Yukon Area.

The Federal manager and a team of assessment and management biologists work together with State of Alaska managers, Office of Subsistence Management staff, Regional Advisory Councils, USFWS Refuge...

Our Library

salmon and char swimming over bedrock
Fisheries Data Series and Technical Data Series Reports from Alaska.

Location and Contact Information