Background
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is a bureau in the Department of Interior. They run the endangered species program in the country, adding (and sometimes removing) species from the list.
The Service was created during a reorganization of the Department of Interior in 1940.
According to their website, the Service has three objectives:
- “Assist in the development and application of an environmental stewardship ethic for our society, based on ecological principles, scientific knowledge of fish and wildlife, and a sense of moral responsibility.”
- “Guide the conservation, development, and management of the Nation’s fish and wildlife resources.”
- “Administer a national program to provide the public opportunities to understand, appreciate, and wisely use fish and wildlife resources.”
The Service is responsible for enforcing federal wildlife laws, protecting endangered species, and the conservation and management of some fisheries, wetlands and migratory birds.
According to the Service’s website, they “manage the 150 million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System of more than 551 National Wildlife Refuges and thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas.” They “also operate 70 National Fish Hatcheries, 65 fishery resource offices and 86 ecological services field stations.”
