Fish and Wildlife Service
Official logo
Agency overview
Formed	June 30, 1940
Preceding agencies	Bureau of Biological Survey Bureau of Fisheries
Jurisdiction	Federal government of the United States
Headquarters	Ballston, Virginia
Employees	7,960 (2006)
Annual budget	$2.32 billion (FY08)
Agency executive	Sam Hamilton, Director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service
Parent agency	US Department of the Interior
Website
www.fws.gov
Footnotes
[1][2][3]

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is a federal government agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and habitats. The mission of the agency reads as "working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people."

Units within the FWS include:

• National Wildlife Refuge System
• Migratory Birds program
• Federal Duck Stamp
• National Fish Hatchery System
• Endangered Species program
• Office of Law Enforcement

[edit] History

The U.S. FWS originated in 1871 as the U.S. Commission on Fish and Fisheries, created by Congress with the purpose of studying and recommending solutions to a decline in food fish. Spencer Fullerton Baird was appointed its first commissioner.In 1885, the Division of Economic Ornithology and Mammalogy was established in the Department of Agriculture, which in 1896 became the Division of Biological Survey. Its early work focused on the effect of birds in controlling agricultural pests and mapping the geographical distribution of plants and animals in the United States. Jay Norwood Darling was appointed Chief of the new Bureau of Biological Survey in 1934; under his guidance, the Bureau began an ongoing legacy of protecting vital natural habitat throughout the country. The Fish and Wildlife Service was finally created in 1940, when the Bureaus of Fisheries and Biological Survey were combined after being moved to the Department of the Interior. Today, the Service consists of a central administrative office with eight regional offices and nearly 700 field offices distributed throughout the United States.

The Service is a bureau within the Department of Interior. Its mission is, working with others, to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages 548 National Wildlife Refuges and 66 National Fish Hatcheries amongst other facilities.

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 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service administers the National Eagle Repository and the permit system for Native American religious use of eagle feathers.^[1][2][3]

The Service governs two National Monuments, Hanford Reach National Monument in Washington State and Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, a huge maritime area northwest of Hawaii (jointly with NOAA).

[edit] See also

[edit] Related governmental agencies

• National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Office for Law Enforcement
• United States Coast Guard

[edit] Regulatory matters

• Coastal Barrier Resources Act
• Endangered Species Act
• Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act
• Lacey Act
• Listing priority number
• Marine Mammal Protection Act
• Migratory Bird Treaty Act
• National Wetlands Inventory
• National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966
• Sikes Act
• Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992

[edit] Wildlife management

• International Migratory Bird Day
• Timeline of environmental events
• Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research
• United States Fish and Wildlife Service list of endangered species

[edit] Other related topics

• Arizona Game and Fish Department
• National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation
• North American Game Warden Museum

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official web site of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
• Fish And Wildlife Service
• FWS Midwest Region

Meeting Notices and Rule Changes from The Federal Register

• The Federal Register
• Lower Great Lakes Fishery Resources Office

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