Region 3 Fisheries Overview

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a responsibility to conserve, restore, enhance, and manage the Nation's fishery resources and aquatic ecosystems for the benefit of future generations. Federal stewardship of the Nation's fishery resources has been a core responsibility of the Service for over 120 years.

Fisheries and aquatic resources are of particular importance in our region as we are surrounded by the Great Lakes and Big Rivers. We are bordered to the north by Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie; and the big rivers of the Upper Mississippi, Lower Missouri, and the Ohio Rivers to the south. Fish and aquatic resources are valuable in our region. In 2001, 9.6 million people went fishing and spent more than $7.8 million on fishing-related equipment and activities in the region. We also have a number of valuable endangered fish and mussel species that are unique to our area.

Not only do we have a number of aquatic assets, but we also have a number of growing threats to those assets. The threats of invasive aquatic nuisance species and aquatic habitat alteration and loss weigh heavily on our aquatic resources. Partnerships with federal, state, tribal, and local management agencies help combat threats and preserve our natural aquatic resources. These activites also increase recreational opportunities within the region.

The Fisheries Program in Region 3 is comprised of six National Fish Hatcheries, six Fishery Resources Offices, two Biological Stations, two Coordination Offices, and one Fish Health Center. All offices are managed out of the Regional Fisheries Office in Fort Snelling, Minnesota. We are proud to say that one of our hatcheries, Neosho National Fish Hatchery in Neosho, Missouri, is the oldest operating National Fish Hatchery in the U.S. It was established in 1888 and continues to serve. Take a look back to fisheries in the past through Windows in Time - old photos from activities in our Region.

We work with a number of native species, endangered fish, endangered mussels, and aquatic nuisance species in Region 3.

We are also involved with a number of programs and partnerships in each of the 8 states within Region 3 (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin).

In 2002, the Fisheries Program worked with partners to establish a Vision for the Fisheries Program to Conserve the Fisheries of America. We accomplish this vision by addressing each of the following key elements:

1. Partnerships and Accountability - strengthening our partnerships with federal, state, local, and international management and conservation agencies, conservation groups, and educational organizations.
2. Aquatic Species Conservation and Management - conservating aquatic species through recovery programs for threatened and endangered fish and mussel species, maintenace of fish health, restoration of native interjurisdictional species, and managment of aquatic nuisance species.
3. Aquatic Habitat Conservation and Management - restoring and conserving aquatic habitats for aquatic species via the fish passage, coastal, and Partners for Fish and Wildlife Programs.
4. Leadership in Science and Technology - providing leadership in our activities.
5. Cooperation with Native Americans - providing fishery assistance to Native American tribes.
6. Workforce Management - maintaing a diverse and well trained staff.
7. Public Use - providing for recreational fishing and public use of aquatic resources.

For more information, view recent activities in our Fish Lines Newsletter of download brochures and fact sheets from our resource materials. Some useful web links are provided to assist in your natural resources search. If you would like to get involved with aquatic conservation, contact us or visit us at one of our outreach events.

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