Departments & agenciesView all actions on the Federal Register
What it does
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the only agency in the Federal government whose primary responsibility is the conservation and management of fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the American people. Its origins date back to 1871 when Congress established the U.S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries to study why the nation’s food fishes were decreasing and recommend ways to reverse that decline. A second predecessor agency, the Bureau of Biological Survey, was established in 1885. In 1939, Fisheries and Biological Survey were moved to the Department of the Interior, and on June 30, 1940, they were combined to create the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Where it sits
A component of Interior Department.
Recent actions
Hunting and Shooting Sports Conservation and Access Council; Request for Nominations
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Initiation of 5-Year Status Reviews for 81 Southeastern Species
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Technical Corrections for 43 Wildlife and Plant Species on the Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget; Federal Fish and Wildlife Permit Applications and Reports--Requirements for African Elephants
Agency Information Collection Activities; Establishment of Annual Migratory Bird Hunting Seasons
Marine Mammals; Incidental Take of Polar Bears and Pacific Walruses in the Beaufort Sea and North Slope of Alaska
Hunting and Shooting Sports Conservation and Access Council; Request for Nominations
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Four Species Not Warranted for Listing as Endangered or Threatened Species