National Fish Passage Program: Difference between revisions

{{Program

|ProgramName=National Fish Passage Program

{{Official URL (simple)|url=https://www.fws.gov/program/national-fish-passage-program}}

* Restore aquatic connectivity by removing barriers to fish migration.<ref>"National Fish Passage Program Overview," U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, https://www.fws.gov/program/national-fish-passage-program, accessed February 19, 2025.</ref>

The National Fish Passage Program is sponsored by the Fish and Aquatic Conservation Program within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, under the Department of the Interior, headquartered at 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, Virginia.<ref>"Fish and Aquatic Conservation," U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, https://www.fws.gov/program/fish-and-aquatic-conservation, accessed February 19, 2025.</ref> Funding comes from Congressional appropriations, with FY 2024 combining $18 million annual funds and $70.4 million from BIL, managed by regional Fish and Wildlife Conservation Offices (FWCOs) across 10 regions, employing biologists and engineers to deliver technical assistance and oversee projects with over 2,000 partners, including tribes and local communities.

The National Fish Passage Program was established in 1999 under the [[National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997]], signed into law on October 9, 1997, as Public Law 105-57, formalizing USFWS efforts to restore aquatic ecosystems amid growing habitat fragmentation.<ref>"NFHS History," U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, https://www.fws.gov/program/national-fish-passage-program/about-us, accessed February 19, 2025.</ref> It expanded significantly with BIL funding in 2022 ($200 million over five years), removing 3,500+ barriers by 2025, with milestones like 2023’s $35 million for 39 projects and 2024’s Enloe Dam removal, adapting to climate challenges and supporting over 61,000 miles of reopened habitat.

Initial funding in 1999 came from Congressional appropriations, with unspecified startup amounts building on USFWS budgets.<ref>"USFWS Budget," U.S. Department of the Interior, https://www.doi.gov/budget, accessed February 19, 2025.</ref> Funding began in 1999 and continues, with FY 2024 at $88.4 million ($18 million annual, $70.4 million BIL), supporting 43 projects, averaging $70,000 per project with a 50% partner match goal, with no end date as appropriations and BIL funds sustain efforts like 2025’s $36 million application cycle.

The program is implemented through voluntary partnerships with local communities, tribes, and agencies, providing technical assistance—engineering, biology, planning—and funding for barrier removals via FWCOs.<ref>"NFPP By the Numbers," U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, https://www.fws.gov/story/2024-01/national-fish-hatchery-system-numbers-2023, accessed February 19, 2025.</ref> It operates continuously with no end date, removing dams and upgrading culverts (e.g., 2024’s Huzzah Creek bridges), with 2025 efforts enhancing resilience post-Helene and supporting species like Apache trout.