thumb|[[Bozeman National Fish Hatchery]]

The National Fish Hatchery System was established in 1871 when the United States Congress created the United States Fish Commission. Since 1940, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service has administered this system of fish hatcheries under the Department of the Interior.

History

When early pioneers began migrating to the western United States, there were no catch limits on fish and no laws preventing people from modifying fish habitats to meet human needs for water, food, and safety. As settlement progressed, abundant fish populations began to decline. By 1870, growing concern for such declines prompted fishery studies, which spurred the establishment of fish spawning stations for collecting and hatching fish eggs and stocking small fish back into waters with declining fisheries. Many of these early spawning stations later became fish hatcheries, marking the beginning of the Fisheries Program and the NFHS.

President Ulysses S. Grant was chiefly responsible for the first official government action to conserve U.S. fishery resources for future generations. President Grant established the United States Fish Commission in 1871. The Commission was a forerunner of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Fisheries Program.

In 1872, the first federal fish hatchery, known as the Baird Hatchery, was established on the McCloud River in California. The NFHS has since grown into a large complex system devoted to conserving U.S. fishery resources.

Originally Spencer Fullerton Baird was chosen by President Ulysses S. Grant to manage the fisheries in the country. He was named "Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries". In 1871 Baird took office but his work was still in effect. The people were now understanding the importance of the fisheries, for sport and food. With much pressure from such organizations as the American Fish Cultural Association and the American Fisheries Society, Congress reserved $15,000 for the fisheries.

  • The growing concern over the observed decline in the United States' fishery resources;
  • the lack of information concerning the status of the Nation's fisheries; and
  • the need to define and protect U.S. fishing rights.

The Fisheries Program has worked with valued partners including States, Native American tribes, Federal Agencies, other Service programs, and private interests in a larger effort to conserve fish and other aquatic resources.

Responsibilities

The original purpose of the NFHS was to supplement declining native stocks of coastal and lake food fish through fish propagation. The NFHS has extensive experience culturing over 100 different aquatic species, and now propagates fish for reasons beyond supplementing declining food species. Hatchery-reared fish are now used to replace fish that were lost from natural events including drought, flood, habitat destruction, or human influences such as over-harvest, pollution, habitat loss due to development and dam construction. This is necessary in order to establish fish populations that meet specific management needs, and to provide for the creation of new and expanded recreational fisheries opportunities.

References

  • U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: National Fish Hatchery System