Furthermore, I have been working to secure greater support and funding to begin retooling our National Fish Hatcheries. Finally, it is not true that the core issue isn't about money, but about a change in management philosophy toward preservation and not conservation. This is hogwash. But I will say, without any hesitation or embarrassment, that fish hatcheries are only one part of a healthy fisheries program. Habitat restoration, fish passage and the health of ecosystems overall are critical to the future of fish and fishing.
Wildlife habitat is essential to the future of hunting.
Fish habitat is just as essential to the future of fishing. Every family faces that situation now and then. The Service is facing it today. For years, our hatchery system has struggled to be everything to everyone. As a result, we have a hatchery system today that is in desperate need of repair and modernization, and aquatic species and habitat in serious states of decline.