United States Fish and Wildlife Service - Wikipedia United States Fish and Wildlife Service `` FWS '' redirects here. For other uses, see FWS ( disambiguation ). Fish and Wildlife Service Logo of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service Flag of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service Agency overview Formed June 30, 1940 ( 1940 - 06 - 30 ) Preceding agencies Bureau of Biological Survey Bureau of Fisheries Jurisdiction United States federal government Headquarters Bailey 's Crossroads, Virginia ( Falls Church mailing address ) Employees approx. 9,000 employees ( 2010 ) Annual budget $2.32 billion ( FY08 ) Agency executive Greg Sheehan ( Acting ), Director Parent agency U.S. Department of the Interior Website www.fws.gov Footnotes Arctic Refuge Law Enforcement Officer Heather Bartlett stands alongside her Super Cub, 2009 The United States Fish and Wildlife Service ( USFWS or FWS ) is an agency of the federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is `` working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. '' Among the responsibilities of the FWS 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 ( 607,000 km2 ) ) 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 ) International Affairs Program Office of Law Enforcement National Conservation Training Center ( Shepherdstown, WV ) 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. Therefore, the FWS works closely with private groups, such as Partners in Flight, Sport Fishing and The Boating Partnership Council, to assist voluntary habitat conservation and restoration. The FWS employs approximately 9,000 people and is organized into a central administrative office ( in Falls Church, VA ), the hallway where directorate members sit at the Department of the Interior in ( in Washington, DC ), eight regional offices, and nearly 700 field offices distributed throughout the United States. Contents 1 History 2 Tribal relations 3 See also 3.1 Related governmental agencies 3.2 Regulatory matters 3.3 Wildlife management 3.4 Other related topics 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External links History USFWS patrol vehicles, Alaska 1950 USFWS personnel in uniform The USFWS originated in 1871 as the United States Commission on Fish and Fisheries, more commonly referred to as the United States Fish Commission, created by the United States Congress with the purpose of studying and recommending solutions to a noted decline in the stocks of food fish. Spencer Fullerton Baird was appointed its first commissioner. In 1903, the Fish Commission was reorganized as the United States Bureau of Fisheries. In 1885 -- 1886, the Division of Economic Ornithology and Mammalogy ( in 1885 it was the Section of Economic Ornithology ) was established within the United States Department of Agriculture. In 1896 it became the Division of Biological Survey. Its early work focused on the effect of birds in controlling agricultural pests and mapping the geographical distribution of plants and animals in the United States. Clinton Hart Merriam headed the Bureau for 25 years and became a national figure for improving the scientific understanding of birds and mammals in the United States. Jay Norwood Darling was appointed Chief of the new Bureau of Biological Survey in 1934 ; the same year Congress passed the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act ( FWCA ), one of the oldest federal environmental review statutes. Under Darling 's guidance, the Bureau began an ongoing legacy of protecting vital natural habitat throughout the country. The USFWS was finally created in 1940, when the Bureaus of Fisheries and Biological Survey were combined after being moved to the Department of the Interior. In 1959, the methods used by USFWS 's Animal Damage Control Program were featured in the Tom Lehrer song `` Poisoning Pigeons in the Park ''. The Service governs six National Monuments ; Hanford Reach National Monument in Washington state ; Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, a huge maritime area in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands ( jointly with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ) and the State of Hawaii ) ; World War Two Valor in the Pacific National Monument in Alaska, Hawaii and California, jointly managed with The National Park Service ; Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, the largest marine protected area in the world ( in consultation with NOAA ; the Rose Atoll Marine National Monument in American Samoa ( with NOAA and the American Samoan Government ) ), and the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument including undersea mud volcanoes, vents, chemosynthetic organisms, and much of the deepest points on Earth ( in coordination of management with NOAA and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands ). Tribal Relations Pursuant to the eagle feather law, Title 50, Part 22 of the Code of Federal Regulations ( 50 CFR 22 ), and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service administers the National Eagle Repository and the permit system for Native American religious use of eagle feathers. However, these exceptions often only apply to Native Americans that are registered with the federal government and are enrolled with a federally recognized tribe. Therefore, many indigenous people that wish to practice their religion continue to face persecution. This has become a modern source of conflict between many tribes and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the USFWS began to incorporate the research of tribal scientists into conservation decisions. This came on the heels of Native American TEK, or traditional ecological knowledge, gaining acceptance in the scientific community as a reasonable and respectable way to gain knowledge of managing the natural world. Additionally, other natural resource agencies within the United States government, such as the USDA, have taken steps to be more inclusive of tribes, native people, and tribal rights. This has marked a transition to a relationship of more cooperation rather than the tension between tribes and government agencies seen historically. Today, these agencies work closely with tribal governments to ensure the best conservation decisions are made and that tribes retain their sovereignty. See also United States portal Law enforcement / Law enforcement topics portal Federal law enforcement in the United States Related governmental agencies Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Office for Law Enforcement National Marine Fisheries Service National Park Service Partners for Fish and Wildlife United States Coast Guard United States Geological Survey Regulatory matters Coastal Barrier Resources Act Endangered Species Act Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act Lacey Act Listing priority number Marine Mammal Protection Act Migratory Bird Treaty Act Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 National Wetlands Inventory National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 Sikes Act Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992 Ramsar Wetlands Convention The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna ( CITES ) Wildlife management International Migratory Bird Day Timeline of environmental events Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora United States Fish and Wildlife Service list of endangered species Sierra Club v. Babbitt Other related topics Arizona Game and Fish Department National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife - Associated Recreation National Wildlife Refuge Association North American Game Warden Museum References This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. ( July 2013 ) Jump up ^ `` U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Moving to Bailey 's Crossroads ? ''. Falls Church, VA Patch. 2013 - 08 - 06. Retrieved 2017 - 12 - 06. Jump up ^ `` GSA Announces New Lease for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ''. Retrieved 2017 - 12 - 06. Jump up ^ `` Zinke taps Utah wildlife director to head U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ''. Spokesman.com. Retrieved 2017 - 09 - 11. Jump up ^ ( 1 ) Archived November 11, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ ( 2 ) Archived March 6, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ USFWS - National Organizational Chart. Fws.gov. Retrieved on 2013 - 08 - 12. Jump up ^ `` Landscape Conservation Cooperative Network ''. www.lccnetwork.org. Jump up ^ `` USGS Patuxent wildlife Research Center : Biological Survey Unit History ''. www.pwrc.usgs.gov. Jump up ^ Rosenberg, Ronald H. and Olson, Allen H., Federal Environmental Review Requirements Other than NEPA : The Emerging Challenge ( 1978 ). CLEVELAND STATE LAW REVIEW ( Vol. 27 : 195. 1978 ) FEDERAL ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW. In Faculty Publications. Paper 672. College of William and Mary Law School Jump up ^ Faulkner, Clarence ( 1999 - 05 - 01 ). `` As It Was in Region 5, 1949 - 1964 ''. The Probe. 200 : 7 -- via DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln, `` City - wide pigeon control in Boston, MA using strychnine - treated whole corn ''. Jump up ^ `` Presidential Proclamation -- - Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument Expansion ''. 25 September 2014. Jump up ^ `` National Eagle Repository ''. fws.gov. Jump up ^ `` Eagle Parts for Native American Religious Purposes '' ( PDF ). fws.org. Jump up ^ `` Title 50 Part 22 Code of Federal Regulations ( 50 CFR 22 ) ) ''. ecfr.gpoaccess.gov. Archived from the original on 2012 - 04 - 02. Retrieved 2012 - 12 - 29. Jump up ^ Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife. `` Fish and Wildlife Service - Native American Program ''. www.fws.gov. Retrieved 2016 - 05 - 04. Jump up ^ Berkes, Fikret ( 2000 ). `` Rediscovery of Traditional Ecological Knowledge as Adaptive Management ''. Ecological Applications 10, No. 5 ( 2000 ) : 1251 - 1262. Jump up ^ Huntington, Henry ( 2000 ). `` Using Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Science : Methods and Applications ''. Ecological Applications 10, No. 5 ( 2000 ) : 1270 - 1274. Jump up ^ Banegas, Diane, `` Native American Students Mentored by Forest Service Scientists, '' US Forest Service ( blog ), April 5, 2016 ( 1 : 00pm ), http://blogs.usda.gov/2016/04/05/native-american-students-mentored-by-forest-service-scientists/. Jump up ^ `` Office of Tribal Relations USDA ''. www.usda.gov. Retrieved 2016 - 05 - 04. Jump up ^ Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species. `` Endangered Species Program What We Do Working with Tribes Tribal Partnership Stories American Indian Tribal Rights, Federal - Tribal Trust Responsibilities, and the Endangered Species Act ''. www.fws.gov. Retrieved 2016 - 05 - 04. Further reading U.S. fishery agency Annual Reports 1871 - 1940 and 1947 - 1979 Director of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service dies at Keystone DOI Secretary Ken Salazar 's Statement on the Passing of Fish and Wildlife Service Director Sam Hamilton `` Biological Survey, Bureau of ''. Encyclopedia Americana. 1920. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Official website U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Google Cultural Institute Fish and Wildlife Service in the Federal Register FWS Midwest Region FWS Southwest Region Lower Great Lakes Fishery Resources Office Technical Report Archive and Image Library ( TRAIL ) Historic technical reports from the Fish and Wildlife Service ( and other Federal agencies ) United States government agencies involved in environmental science Environmental Protection Agency Global Change Research Program National Aeronautics and Space Administration National Science Foundation Smithsonian Institution Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs Bureau of Land Management Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement Bureau of Reclamation National Park Service United States Fish and Wildlife Service United States Geological Survey Office of Insular Affairs Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation, and Enforcement Department of Commerce Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research National Geodetic Survey National Marine Fisheries Service National Ocean Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Weather Service Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office of Environmental Management Office of Science National Laboratories and Technology Centers Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Farm Service Agency Food and Nutrition Service Foreign Agricultural Service Natural Resources Conservation Service National Water and Climate Center Rural Utilities Service United States Forest Service Department of Homeland Security Directorate for Science and Technology United States Coast Guard Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Department of Defense Air Force Research Laboratory Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Office of Naval Research United States Army Research, Development and Engineering Command Agencies under the United States Department of the Interior Headquarters : Main Interior Building Ryan Zinke, Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt, Deputy Secretary of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs Bureau of Land Management Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement General Land Office Bureau of Reclamation Fish and Wildlife Service Geological Survey Office of Surface Mining Interior Business Center National Park Service Office of Insular Affairs United States environmental law Supreme Court decisions Missouri v. Holland ( 1920 ) Sierra Club v. Morton ( 1972 ) United States v. SCRAP ( 1973 ) Tennessee Valley Authority v. Hill ( 1978 ) Vermont Yankee v. NRDC ( 1978 ) Hughes v. Oklahoma ( 1979 ) Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife ( 1992 ) United States v. Bestfoods ( 1998 ) Friends of the Earth v. Laidlaw Environmental Services ( 2000 ) SWANCC v. Army Corps of Engineers ( 2001 ) Department of Transportation v. Public Citizen ( 2004 ) Rapanos v. United States ( 2006 ) Massachusetts v. EPA ( 2007 ) National Ass'n of Home Builders v. Defenders of Wildlife ( 2007 ) Coeur Alaska, Inc. v. Southeast Alaska Conservation Council ( 2009 ) Major federal legislation and treaties Rivers and Harbors Act ( 1899 ) Lacey Act ( 1900 ) Weeks Act ( 1911 ) North Pacific Fur Seal Convention of 1911 ( 1911 ) Migratory Bird Treaty Act ( 1918 ) Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act ( 1934 ) Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act ( 1954 ) Clean Air Act ( 1963, 1970 ) National Environmental Policy Act ( 1970 ) Clean Water Act ( 1972 ) Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act ( 1972 ) Noise Control Act ( 1972 ) Endangered Species Act ( 1973 ) Safe Drinking Water Act ( 1974 ) Resource Conservation and Recovery Act ( 1976 ) Toxic Substances Control Act ( 1976 ) Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act ( 1977 ) CERCLA ( Superfund ) ( 1980 ) Emergency Planning and Community Right - to - Know Act ( 1986 ) Emergency Wetlands Resources Act ( 1986 ) Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act ( 2016 ) Federal agencies Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Council on Environmental Quality Office of Surface Mining United States Environmental Protection Agency United States Fish and Wildlife Service Regulations and concepts Best available technology Citizen suit Discharge Monitoring Report Effluent guidelines Environmental crime Environmental impact statement Environmental justice National Ambient Air Quality Standards National Priorities List New Source Performance Standard Not - To - Exceed ( NTE ) Right to know Total maximum daily load Toxicity category rating Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=United_States_Fish_and_Wildlife_Service&oldid=850522271 '' Categories : United States Fish and Wildlife Service Environmental agencies in the United States United States Department of the Interior agencies Conservation in the United States Land management in the United States United States public land law Wildland fire suppression agencies Government agencies established in 1939 1939 establishments in the United States 1939 in the environment Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from September 2016 Articles lacking in - text citations from July 2013 All articles lacking in - text citations Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the Encyclopedia Americana with a Wikisource reference Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Dansk Deutsch Español Esperanto Français 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia Italiano Latina Lietuvių Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Русский Svenska Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt 中文 14 more Edit links This page was last edited on 16 July 2018, at 12 : 08 ( UTC ). 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Question: who started the us fish and wildlife service
Answer: United States Congress