THE UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE 



SERVICE 



Its Responsibilities and Functions 



By Edna N. Sater, Office of Information 

 Office of the Commissioner 



Fish and wildlife are products of the land and 

 waters and rank among the Nation's most important 

 renewable natural resources. Their value is measured 

 not only in terms of their annual monetary worth but 

 also in terms of their intangible worth as a source of 

 outdoor recreation and pleasure available to all 

 Americans . 



The problems of wildlife and fishery conservation 

 are as varied and as changing as the resources them- 

 selves. Yet basically, the principal problem is always 

 the same- -how to keep fish and wildlife populations 

 high enough to satisfy the needs of modern civilization, 

 a civilization that demands more and more benefits 

 from these resources but at almost every step impairs 

 or destroys the environment that fish and wildlife must 

 have to survive. 



Americans look to their fish and wildlife resources 

 for many things. Broadly speaking, wild animals -- 

 mammals, birds, and fishes of our land and inland 

 waters- -are primarily a recreational resource, 

 although large economic values are involved in the 

 pursuit of hunting and sport fishing. The marine 

 fishes, on the other hand, are principally a commer- 

 cial resource. Each year the fishing industry produces 

 around 5 billion pounds of food and related products 

 estimated to have a retail value of more than a billion 

 dollars. In recent years marine sport fishing has been 

 increasing in popularity. 



America's fish and wildlife resources have become 

 a vital factor in the American way of life. In 1955, a 

 nationwide survey showed that 25 million American 

 anglers and hunters spent nearly $3 billion and 500 

 million days pursuing their favorite sport. In 1959 the 

 national wildlife refuges recorded nearly 10 million 



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