Status of Fish Habitats in the US - New Report

Through A Fish's Eye: The Status of Fish Habitats in the United States 2010 is a report released today by the National Fish Habitat Board. It is the first-of-its-kind report that serves as an effort to protect, restore and enhance our nation’s aquatic habitats. The report summarizes the results of a nationwide assessment of the human effects on fish habitat in the rivers and estuaries of the United States.

There are over 300 million people in the United States that depend on the same aquatic environment as over 3000 species of fish. As a result, there is a collision underway because of the effects of urbanization, agriculture, dams, culverts, pollution and other forms of human impact. The report isn't meant to be a scare tactic, it is meant to provide factual information about conditions today so we can take appropriate action to reverse some of these trends. In the state-by-state analysis, I am disappointed to see that my home state of Iowa is one of the worse contributors to degradation due to our agricultural industry.

I want to encourage you to read the report and do your part to preserve the habitat so generations to come can enjoy fishing just like we have.