The National Fish Hatchery System (NFHS) was established by the U.S. Congress in 1871 through the creation of a U.S. Commissioner for Fish and Fisheries. This system of fish hatcheries is now administered by the Fisheries Program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), an agency within the United States Department of the Interior.
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, an agency of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, is responsible for the conservation of wildlife resources and for boating projects in the state. A commissioner appointed by the Fish and Wildlife Commission heads the department. The commission—which oversees the department's commissioner and promulgates regulations governing fishing, hunting, and boating—is a nine-member bipartisan board appointed by the governor from a list of candidates nominated by active hunters and anglers in each of nine geographic districts in the state.
Snagging, also known as snag fishing, snatching, snatch fishing, jagging (Australia), or foul hooking, is a fishing technique for catching fish that uses sharp grappling hooks tethered to a fishing line to externally pierce into the flesh of nearby fish, without needing the fish to swallow any hook with its mouth like in angling. This is achieved by suddenly and vigorously pulling the line when movement is felt, causing the snag hook to "claw" into any fish unfortunate enough to be grappled by the hook points. Weighted multi-hook rigs can be used to increase chances of success, and modern technologies such as underwater video camera can also be used to visually aid and time the snagging.
The Allegheny Wildlife Management Area is located on 6,202 acres (25.1 km2) on two separate tracts of mixed oak-hickory woodlands in western Mineral County along the Allegheny Front. The large land tract of 5,034 acres (2,037.2 ha) is accessible via Pinnacle Road and Pine Swamp Road four miles (6 km) southwest of Keyser. The smaller tract of 1,168 acres (4.7 km2) is accessed by West Virginia Route 46 and Barnum Road about 6 miles (10 km) north from Elk Garden. The Barnum Road tract consists of old farm fields along the river and the ridgetop, connected by steep slopes.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is a Florida government agency founded in 1999 and headquartered in Tallahassee. It manages and regulates the state's fish and wildlife resources, and enforces related laws. Officers are managers, researchers, and support personnel, and perform law enforcement in the course of their duties.
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) is the state agency responsible for the conservation and management of Alabama's natural resources including state parks, state lands, wildlife and aquatic resources. ADCNR also issues hunting and fishing licenses for the state. The department promotes wise stewardship and enjoyment of the state's natural resources through five divisions: Marine Resources, State Lands, State Parks and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. Supporting those divisions are seven support sections: Accounting, Diversity and Recruiting, Engineering, Information and Education, Information Technology, Legal, and Personnel and Payroll.
Fish stocking is the practice of releasing fish that are artificially raised in a hatchery into a natural body of water, in order to supplement existing wild populations or to create a new population where previously none exists. Stocking may be done for the benefit of commercial, recreational or tribal heritage fishing, but may also be done for ecological conservation to restore or increase the population of threatened/endangered fish species that is pressured by prior overfishing, habitat destruction and/or competition from invasive species.
Alabama Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) are tracts of land which have been established for the conservation and management of natural resources such as wildlife and aquatic life within the State of Alabama. The Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is responsible for the management of these lands and their associated uses. The land is not typically state-owned, but is private land which is leased for public use. The landholders are typically large timber, oil and gas, coal, or infrastructure companies. Public uses of the WMAs vary from area to area, but typically includes hunting, fishing, trapping, hiking, and camping. As of the 2007–2008 season over 768,000 acres (3,110 km2) of land was under management as part of Alabama WMAs from the north Alabama mountains down to Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico coast.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) is a department within the government of Alaska. ADF&G's mission is to protect, maintain, and improve the fish, game, and aquatic plant resources of the state, and manage their use and development in the best interest of the economy and the well-being of the people of the state, consistent with the sustained yield principle. ADF&G manages approximately 750 active fisheries, 26 game management units, and 32 special areas. From resource policy to public education, the department considers public involvement essential to its mission and goals. The department is committed to working with tribes in Alaska and with a diverse group of State and Federal agencies. The department works cooperatively with various universities and nongovernmental organizations in formal and informal partnership arrangements, and assists local research or baseline environmental monitoring through citizen science programs.
Saxis Wildlife Management Area is a 5,578-acre (22.57 km2) Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Accomack County, Virginia. Predominantly tidal marshland, it is divided into three tracts, all located on peninsulas bordering on brackish waters such as Beasley Bay, Pocomoke Sound, and Messongo Creek. Several smaller freshwater creeks are also found on the property. Portions of the area farthest inland are occupied by hummocks. The property is maintained by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries mostly in its natural state, with little in the way of human management or development.
New York State Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) are conservation areas managed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) primarily for the benefit of wildlife, and used extensively by the public for hunting, fishing, and trapping. As of 2016, the NYSDEC owns and maintains 113 WMAs, with a total area of approximately 197,000 acres. The Wildlife Management Areas program is administered by the Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources of the NYSDEC.
Green Bottom Wildlife Management Area is located on former plantation lands of U.S. Congressman and Confederate General Albert G. Jenkins. The 1,096 acres (444 ha) in Cabell County and Mason County are located along the banks of the Ohio River about 16 miles (26 km) north of Huntington, West Virginia. The Green Bottom WMA land is a mixture of farmland, mixed hardwood forest, wetlands, and open water. The Jenkins Plantation Museum is located on Corps of Engineers land adjacent to the WMA. The museum is located in the original 1835 Green Bottom Plantation House, and is operated by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History.
The Clifton F. McClintic Wildlife Management Area, known locally as "the TNT area", is a naturalized area located in Mason County about 5 miles (8 km) north of Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Located on 3,655 acres (1,479 ha) of former wartime industrial land, the WMA is occupied by farmland, woodlands, and wetlands encompassing 31 ponds. The area still contains stored explosives.
As with other countries, the 200 nautical miles (370 km) exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the coast of the United States gives its fishing industry special fishing rights. It covers 11.4 million square kilometres, which is the second largest zone in the world, exceeding the land area of the United States.
The North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve is a nature reserve of 3,315 acres (13.42 km2) located three miles (5 km) north of Oroville, in Butte County, northern California. The land was acquired by the state in October, 1993.
The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife is a government agency in the U.S. state of New Jersey overseen by the cabinet-level New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). The division is "dedicated to the protection, management and wise use of New Jersey's fish and wildlife resources". The division issues licenses, stamps and permits for hunting, fishing and trapping and the proceeds from such sales directly fund the division's operations, specifically includes the operation of two fish hatcheries and associated stocking programs, a pheasant farm, enforcement of fish and wildlife regulations, habitat protection, fish and wildlife research, wildlife management area maintenance and improvement, education, and other programs and activities".
Big Woods Wildlife Management Area is a 4,173-acre (16.89 km2) Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Sussex County, Virginia. It comprises two tracts of land; the 2,208-acre (8.94 km2) main tract, located immediately adjacent Big Woods State Forest, and the 1,965-acre (7.95 km2) Parker's Branch tract, located nearby.
The South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks (GFP) is the U.S. State of South Dakota's state agency charged with the management of the state's public recreational and outdoor resources. The GFP manages the 13 state parks and 43 state recreation areas within the state parks system, totaling over 96,000 acres of public lands. The agency manages the hunting of game and the state's fisheries, manages several wildlife management areas and game production areas to restore or establish habitat for a variety of species. The agency conducts public outdoor education programs, typically focusing on hunting and boating safety. The department issues hunting and fishing licenses along with issuance of boat registrations. The agency is also charged with enforcement of fish and game laws, including invasive species regulations. The agency is headquartered in Pierre, South Dakota.
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is the State of North Dakota's State agency charged with stewardship of the state's fish, game, and wildlife resources. The department sets fish and game regulations, including issuance of hunting and fishing licenses and enforcement of state regulations throughout the state. The department also enforces watercraft regulations and registration, along with enforcement of Invasive species laws.
