Anadromous Fish Conservation Act — Federal-State Fishery Restoration Programs
Salmon, steelhead, shad, striped bass, and other anadromous fish — species that migrate from the ocean into freshwater rivers to spawn — have faced dramatic declines across the United States as dams, water pollution, and habitat loss have degraded or blocked the rivers they depend on. The Anadromous Fish Conservation Act of 1965 (16 U.S.C. §§ 757a–757f) authorizes the federal government to enter into cooperative agreements with states and other partners to study, protect, and restore these fish, working across the full range of threats to their survival. A 1966 amendment extended this authority to cover Great Lakes fisheries, making the Act the primary federal vehicle for cooperative restoration of not just ocean-going fish but also the inland lakes fisheries of the upper Midwest. The Act is less well-known than the Endangered Species Act or the Magnuson-Stevens Act, but it provides a flexible, cooperative framework for federal investment in anadromous and Great Lakes fisheries that has supported some of the most successful fish restoration efforts in American conservation history.
Current Law (2026)
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Core statute | 16 U.S.C. §§ 757a–757f (Anadromous Fish Conservation Act of 1965, as amended) |
| Covered species | Anadromous fish (salmon, steelhead, shad, striped bass, river herring, etc.) and Great Lakes and Lake Champlain fisheries |
| Administering agency | Secretary of the Interior (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) for most species; Secretary of Commerce (NOAA Fisheries) for Pacific salmon and other NOAA-managed species |
| Program structure | Cooperative agreements with one or more states and other parties; federal may contribute up to 50% of project costs |
| Eligible activities | Protection, enhancement, and restoration of anadromous fish and their habitat; studies of fish populations, migration, and ecological needs; fish passage construction; hatchery operations; water quality improvement |
| Columbia River exception | Sections 757a–757f do not supersede the separate legislative authority for Columbia River basin fisheries (§ 757e); Idaho has equal access to funding |
| New England fisheries | Section 777e–1 (Dingell-Johnson Act) requires the FWS Director to develop restoration plans for New England anadromous fish, coordinated with NOAA |
Legal Authority
- 16 U.S.C. § 757a — Cooperative agreements: the Secretary of the Interior may make agreements with one or more states (and with non-federal partners) to protect, enhance, and restore anadromous fish in rivers and streams that cross state boundaries or are under federal jurisdiction; the Act explicitly covers Great Lakes fisheries (following a 1966 amendment) and Lake Champlain; federal contribution may cover up to 50% of project costs
- 16 U.S.C. § 757b — Authority of the Secretary: the Secretary may undertake studies, investigations, surveys, and other measures to protect, develop, and manage anadromous fish, including scientific investigations of fish populations, migration routes, habitat needs, and the effects of dams, water diversions, and other human activities; may also take direct action to construct, acquire, or improve fish passage facilities
- 16 U.S.C. § 757c — Coordination with other federal agencies: activities proposed for lands administered by other federal departments or agencies require approval from the appropriate official of that agency; ensures coordination with the Army Corps, Bureau of Reclamation, and other agencies whose projects affect fish habitat
- 16 U.S.C. § 757d — Appropriations: authorizes appropriations necessary to carry out the Act; actual funding levels are set by annual appropriations
- 16 U.S.C. § 757e — Columbia River savings clause: the Act does not apply to or affect the separate legal authorities governing the Columbia River basin fisheries; Idaho has equal access to funding under sections 755–757 that predated the broader Act
- 16 U.S.C. § 757f — Water pollution studies: based on studies conducted under the Act, the Secretary of the Interior must report to the Secretary of Health and Human Services on pollution threats to anadromous fish and recommend measures for abatement
Anadromous Fish and Why They Matter
Anadromous fish are uniquely valuable — and uniquely vulnerable — because they connect the ocean to inland freshwater systems. Pacific salmon, for example, spend years in the Pacific Ocean but return to the exact freshwater streams where they hatched to spawn and die. Their ocean-nutrient-rich carcasses feed riparian forests and freshwater food webs in ways that permanently link coastal productivity to mountain streams. Atlantic salmon, American shad, striped bass, and river herring perform similar ecological functions on the East Coast.
The same life history that makes these fish ecologically remarkable also makes them extraordinarily sensitive to human modification of rivers. A single dam without an adequate fish ladder can eliminate anadromous fish from hundreds of miles of upstream habitat. Water withdrawals during critical migration periods can strand fish. Water temperatures elevated by reservoir operations can block thermal migration cues. The Anadromous Fish Conservation Act was designed to address these threats through federal-state cooperation rather than requiring federal agencies to manage all restoration activities unilaterally.
The Great Lakes Extension
The 1966 extension of the Act to cover Great Lakes fisheries reflected the distinctive challenges of that ecosystem. The Great Lakes contain lake trout, lake whitefish, walleye, and other species that, while not anadromous in the ocean-going sense, migrate within the Great Lakes basin to spawn in tributaries — and face many of the same habitat and access challenges as true anadromous fish. The sea lamprey invasion, which devastated lake trout populations in the mid-20th century (see Aquatic Invasive Species and NANPCA for the federal regime targeting invasive species like sea lamprey and Asian carp), created an ongoing need for federal-state cooperative management that the Act helps fund.
The Great Lakes Fishery Commission, established by a separate treaty between the United States and Canada, coordinates binational fisheries management; the Anadromous Fish Conservation Act provides the federal domestic authority to fund restoration activities that support commission objectives on the U.S. side of the border.
Key Restoration Programs
Pacific salmon and steelhead: FWS and NOAA have used Anadromous Act authority to fund hatchery programs, fish ladder improvements, streambed restoration, and dam removal projects supporting Pacific salmon runs. The relationship between this Act and the ESA's critical habitat protections for Pacific salmon runs creates a layered federal framework for one of the most complex fisheries management challenges in the country.
Atlantic coast anadromous fish: Shad, river herring (alewife and blueback herring), striped bass, and Atlantic salmon have all been the subject of Anadromous Act restoration projects. The Delaware River shad restoration and the striped bass recovery programs along the Atlantic coast are examples of multi-decade, multi-state restoration efforts supported through Act authority.
New England fisheries: The Dingell-Johnson Act (§ 777e–1) specifically directs FWS to develop and implement restoration plans for New England's anadromous fish, coordinated with NOAA and New England state agencies. This provision recognizes the importance of restoring shad, alewife, and Atlantic salmon runs that historically supported commercial and tribal fisheries throughout the region.
How It Affects You
<!-- pria:personalize type="impact" -->If you are a recreational angler on the East or West Coast: The salmon, steelhead, shad, and striped bass runs you pursue have been maintained and in some cases significantly restored through programs funded under the Anadromous Fish Conservation Act. The Dingell-Johnson sport fish restoration program provides complementary state-level funding for fisheries management through excise taxes on fishing equipment. Federal-state cooperative hatchery programs, fish passage restoration, and habitat improvement projects have made fish available in rivers where they had been largely absent for decades.
If you live near a dam relicensing or removal process: When federal hydropower licenses are being renewed by FERC, Anadromous Act authority may be invoked to require fish passage improvements or minimum flows to protect anadromous fish. The Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act requires separate consultation with FWS and state agencies for any water project that modifies streams or water bodies. Dam removal projects — like the Elwha River dam removal in Washington state — have been among the most dramatic applications of federal authority to restore anadromous fish habitat.
If you work in fisheries biology, habitat restoration, or water resource management: Anadromous Act cooperative agreements provide federal funding and technical resources for state and tribal fisheries restoration work. The Act's flexible cooperative agreement structure allows federal expertise and funding to be matched with state and tribal knowledge of specific watersheds and fish populations.
If you are a tribal member with treaty fishing rights: Many tribes hold treaty-protected rights to harvest anadromous fish — especially Pacific salmon — that are directly affected by the health of the runs that federal programs support. FWS and NOAA tribal consultation obligations under the Anadromous Act and related laws make tribal priorities central to federal fisheries restoration planning.
<!-- /pria:personalize -->State Variations
The Act works through cooperative agreements with states, meaning that actual restoration programs reflect state priorities and expertise. Pacific Coast states (California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Alaska) have extensive state salmon and steelhead programs that receive federal support. Atlantic Coast states have developed coordinated shad and herring restoration programs through the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. Great Lakes states coordinate through the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. The Act's framework is explicitly federal-state cooperative rather than federal-preemptive.
Pending Legislation
No major amendments to the Anadromous Fish Conservation Act are pending as of 2026. The broader context of Pacific salmon ESA listings, Great Lakes invasive species management, and Atlantic coast forage fish management continues to generate legislative attention in related areas. Dam removal funding has become more prominent in federal appropriations as an anadromous fish restoration tool, reflecting both the cost of dam maintenance and the fish passage value of removal.
Recent Developments
Pacific salmon ESA listings have elevated the profile of federal anadromous fish programs, as some of the same fish that Anadromous Act programs support are also subject to ESA critical habitat designations and consultation requirements. The Snake River dam removal debate — whether to remove four lower Snake River dams in Washington to restore salmon and steelhead runs — involves Anadromous Act authorities alongside the ESA, the Columbia River Power System operating agreements, and tribal treaty rights. On the Atlantic coast, the collapse of river herring (alewife and blueback herring) populations and their connection to striped bass and tuna forage availability has generated new focus on dam removal and fish passage projects in coastal New England and Mid-Atlantic states.