Fish and Wildlife Service

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 natural 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.” The leader of the FWS is the director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Daniel M. Ashe, of Maryland, who was confirmed on June 30, 2011, succeeding Sam Hamilton. Among the service’s responsibilities are enforcing federal wildlife laws, protecting endangered species, managing migratory birds, restoring nationally significant fisheries, conserving and restoring wildlife habitat, such as wetlands, helping foreign governments with their international conservation efforts, and distributing money to states’ fish and wildlife agencies through the Wildlife Sport Fish and Restoration program. Units within the FWS include: National Wildlife Refuge System (over 560 National Wildlife Refuges and thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas covering over 150 million acres) Division of Migratory Bird Management Federal Duck Stamp National Fish Hatchery System (70 National Fish Hatcheries and 65 Fishery Resource Offices) Endangered Species program (86 Ecological Services Field Stations) United States Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement Clark R. Bavin National Fish and Wildlife Forensic Laboratory Landscape Conservation Cooperatives The vast majority of fish and wildlife habitat is on non-federal lands. The Partners for Fish and Wildlife, Partners in Flight, Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council, and other partnership activities are the main ways the FWS fosters aquatic conservation and assists voluntary habitat conservation and restoration. The FWS employs approximately 9,000 people at facilities across the U.S. The FWS is a decentralized organization with a headquarters office in Washington, D.C., with regional and field offices across the country. Today, the FWS consists of a central administrative office (in Arlington, VA) with eight regional offices and nearly 700 field offices distributed throughout the United States.