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Title 16 — ConservationRelease 119-73

§3741 Findings

Title 16 › Chapter CHAPTER 57A— - PARTNERSHIPS FOR WILDLIFE › § 3741

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Congress says we should set up a program to bring federal and state governments and private groups together to protect wildlife and help people enjoy it. Three-fourths of Americans take part in wildlife activities that are not hunting, fishing, or trapping, and in 1985 Americans spent over $14 billion on those activities. The United States and Canada have about 2,600 native vertebrate species, and over 80 percent of them are not harvested. Many species are now in trouble: more than 275 vertebrate species are listed as threatened or endangered, new species have been added at a rate of over one per month in the past decade, and currently 82 invertebrate species are listed with another 951 as candidates. A 1967 report found 45 common migratory bird species had fallen in number, with 13 of them dropping 46.9 percent over a 20-year study, and frogs and other amphibians have also declined. Keeping species healthy before they become endangered is essential. Conservation must cover hunted species, endangered species, and the many others. Partnership programs like Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration, Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration, and the North American Wetlands Conservation Act have helped. Many States have less money now and need support to conserve wildlife and give the public ways to enjoy it.

Full Legal Text

Title 16, §3741

Conservation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

The Congress finds the following:
(1)Three-fourths of all American children and adults participate in wildlife-related recreational activities other than hunting, fishing and trapping.
(2)In 1985, Americans spent over $14 billion on non-consumptive wildlife-related recreation.
(3)The United States and Canada are inhabited by approximately two thousand six hundred vertebrate species of native fish and wildlife, which have provided food, clothing, and other essentials to a rapidly expanding human population.
(4)Over 80 percent of vertebrate fish and wildlife species in North America are not harvested for human use.
(5)The continued well-being of this once-abundant fish and wildlife resource, and even the very existence of many species, is in peril.
(6)In 1967, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service reported that forty-five common migratory bird species, which are not hunted, had exhibited significant declines in abundance, and that thirteen of these species have experienced widespread, systematic declines of 46.9 percent during a twenty-year study period.
(7)There have been nationwide declines in frogs and other amphibians.
(8)Over two hundred and seventy-five of vertebrate fish and wildlife species in the United States are now officially classified as threatened or endangered by the Federal Government.
(9)During the past decade, fish and wildlife species, including invertebrates, were added to the rapidly growing list of threatened and endangered species in North America at the average rate of over one per month.
(10)Currently, eighty-two species of invertebrates in the United States are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act [16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.], and another nine hundred and fifty-one United States invertebrate species are candidates for listing under that Act.
(11)Proper management of fish and wildlife, before species become threatened or endangered with extinction, is the key to reversing the increasingly desperate status of fish and wildlife.
(12)Proper fish and wildlife conservation includes not only management of fish and wildlife species taken for recreation and protection of endangered and threatened species, but also management of the vast majority of species which fall into neither category.
(13)Partnerships in fish and wildlife conservation, such as the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Program, the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Program, and the North American Wetlands Conservation Act [16 U.S.C. 4401 et seq.] have benefitted greatly the conservation of fish and wildlife and their habitats.
(14)A program that encourages partnerships among Federal and State governments and private entities to carry out wildlife conservation and appreciation projects would benefit all species of fish and wildlife through such activities as management, research, and interagency coordination.
(15)Many States, which are experiencing declining revenues, are finding it increasingly difficult to carry out projects to conserve the entire array of diverse fish and wildlife species and to provide opportunities for the public to associate with, enjoy, and appreciate fish and wildlife through nonconsumptive activities.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Endangered Species Act referred to in par. (10), probably means the Endangered Species Act of 1973, Pub. L. 93–205, Dec. 28, 1973, 87 Stat. 884, which is classified generally to chapter 35 (§ 1531 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 1531 of this title and Tables. The North American Wetlands Conservation Act, referred to in par. (13), is Pub. L. 101–233, Dec. 13, 1989, 103 Stat. 1968, which is classified principally to chapter 64 (§ 4401 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 4401 of this title and Tables.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Short Title

Pub. L. 102–587, title VII, § 7101, Nov. 4, 1992, 106 Stat. 5094, provided that: “This Title [enacting this chapter] may be cited as the ‘Partnerships for Wildlife Act’.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

16 U.S.C. § 3741

Title 16 — Conservation

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73