§3741 — Title 16 Conservation | U.S. Code

Summary

Explains why the United States needs a national program to protect fish and wildlife. It notes that three-fourths of Americans take part in wildlife activities that do not involve hunting, fishing, or trapping, and that in 1985 Americans spent over $14 billion on those activities. The country and Canada have about two thousand six hundred native vertebrate species. More than 80 percent of those species are not hunted or fished, yet many kinds are in danger or losing numbers. Gives examples and counts: in 1967, forty-five common non-hunted migratory birds showed big drops, with thirteen falling by 46.9 percent over a twenty-year study. Frogs and other amphibians have fallen across the country. Over two hundred and seventy-five U.S. vertebrate species are listed as threatened or endangered, and in the past decade new listings happened at an average rate of over one per month. Currently eighty-two invertebrate species are listed and nine hundred and fifty-one are candidates. It says saving species before they become threatened is essential, that conservation must cover species not hunted or officially endangered, and that partnerships—like the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Program, the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Program, and the North American Wetlands Conservation Act—have helped. Many States have less money now and need help to protect wildlife and to let people enjoy it in non-hunting ways.

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.

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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

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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

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

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

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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’.”

§3741 Findings

Summary

Title 16, §3741

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