Fish and Wildlife Service (U.S.)

Abureauof the Department of Interior, the Fish and Wildlife Service is the federal government's lead agency in charge of wildlife and freshwater fish conservation. Although fish and wildlife presumptively fall within the jurisdiction of the 50 states, the federal government's role has increased significantly since the late 19th century through international treaties; the creation of national parks, forests, and wildlife refuges; the Commerce Clause; and the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Today, the Fish and Wildlife Service administers a system of 520 wildlife refuges and “waterfowl production areas” covering roughly 93 million acres of land (more than half of which is in Alaska). Its Ecological Services Division oversees endangered species protection (except for marine and anadromous fish, which fall under the jurisdiction of NOAA Fisheries ...