Title 16ConservationRelease 119-73

§8201 Purpose

Title 16 › Chapter CHAPTER 101— - NATIONAL FISH HABITAT CONSERVATION THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS › § 8201

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Create partnerships between government agencies and other groups to protect and improve fish habitat. The partnerships must produce measurable results by improving habitat, restoring natural processes, and preventing loss of healthy systems so fishing opportunities increase. They must set a national conservation strategy to guide future actions and funding. The work should build public support by expanding fishing chances, involving local communities and youth, and showing how healthy habitat helps communities and the economy. It should also improve the national habitat assessment and database with better science and social and economic data, and share results and voluntary conservation options with the public.

Full Legal Text

Title 16, §8201

Conservation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

The purpose of this chapter is to encourage partnerships among public agencies and other interested persons to promote fish conservation—
(1)to achieve measurable habitat conservation results through strategic actions of Fish Habitat Partnerships that lead to better fish habitat conditions and increased fishing opportunities by—
(A)improving ecological conditions;
(B)restoring natural processes; or
(C)preventing the decline of intact and healthy systems;
(2)to establish a consensus set of national conservation strategies as a framework to guide future actions and investment by Fish Habitat Partnerships;
(3)to broaden the community of support for fish habitat conservation by—
(A)increasing fishing opportunities;
(B)fostering the participation of local communities, especially young people in local communities, in conservation activities; and
(C)raising public awareness of the role healthy fish habitat play in the quality of life and economic well-being of local communities;
(4)to fill gaps in the National Fish Habitat Assessment and the associated database of the National Fish Habitat Assessment—
(A)to empower strategic conservation actions supported by broadly available scientific information; and
(B)to integrate socioeconomic data in the analysis to improve the lives of humans in a manner consistent with fish habitat conservation goals; and
(5)to communicate to the public and conservation partners—
(A)the conservation outcomes produced collectively by Fish Habitat Partnerships; and
(B)new opportunities and voluntary approaches for conserving fish habitat.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Short Title

of 2024 Amendment Pub. L. 118–198, § 1(a), Dec. 23, 2024, 138 Stat. 2678, provided that: “This Act [amending section 666c–1, 667h, 3709, 4406, 8203 to 8206, 8209, 8211, and 8212 of this title, section 8355 and 8356 of Title 7, Agriculture, and section 1267 of Title 33, Navigation and Navigable Waters, and provisions set out as notes under section 2601 of Title 15, Commerce and Trade, section 1267 of Title 33, and section 320101 of Title 54, National Park Service and Related Programs] may be cited as the ‘America’s Conservation Enhancement Reauthorization Act of 2024’.”

Short Title

Pub. L. 116–188, § 1(a), Oct. 30, 2020, 134 Stat. 905, provided that: “This Act [enacting this chapter, section 667h and 669l of this title, and section 8355 and 8356 of Title 7, Agriculture, amending section 666c–1, 3702, 3703, 3709, 3710, 4403, and 4406 of this title and section 1267 of Title 33, Navigation and Navigable Waters, enacting provisions set out as notes under section 2601 of Title 15, Commerce and Trade, and section 1267 of Title 33, and amending provisions set out as notes under section 669 and 742b of this title and section 320101 of Title 54, National Park Service and Related Programs] may be cited as the ‘America’s Conservation Enhancement Act’.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

16 U.S.C. § 8201

Title 16Conservation

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73