Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office Fish and Aquatic Habitat Program Overview 2016. Role of AFWO Fish & Aquatic Habitat Conservation Program.

Role of AFWO Fish & Aquatic Habitat Conservation Program
The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Fish and Aquatic Habitat Conservation (FAC) Program is responsible for:
1) facilitating the restoration of nationally significant fishery resources,
2) seeking and providing mitigation of fishery resources adversely impacted by federal water development projects,
3) assisting with management of inter-jurisdictional fisheries and fish resources and aquatic habitats,
4) providing technical assistance to native American Tribes, and
5) maintaining a federal leadership role in scientifically-based management of national fishery resources.
Authority and directives supporting Service activities to protect and restore fishery resources and aquatic habitats is described in several acts, including the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956, Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, Fish and Wildlife Improvement Act of 1978, Federal Power Act, Anadromous Fish Conservation Act, and Endangered Species Act, and more locally, the Klamath River Basin Fishery Resources Restoration Act, Title 34 of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act, and the Trinity River Basin Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act, among others. The Service has been identified as being DOI’s “principle fact-finding arm and scientific authority on fishery resource matters”, with the role of our FAC Program specified in detail in its national strategic plan titled Strategic Plan for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fish and Aquatic Conservation Program: FY2016-2020.