Fish and Wildlife Conservation Law Enforcement Agencies - Essay Sample

Introduction

The idea of conservation of wildlife and aquatic life in the U.S. became widely recognized during the 20th century and it revolved around the preservation of ecological landscape. (Conservation in Transition, 2018). But the growth in human's physical and economic activities from local scale to the current regional and global measure, conservation has come along with challenges such as poor development planning, destruction of wildlife habitat, and pollution and scarcity of water. The magnitude and ramification of the current efforts of conservation in the U.S. have led to the enshrinement of federal laws that pertain protection the natural wildlife and fisheries ecosystem that are under threat. As a result, several federal and state enforcement agencies have the authority to enforce such laws.

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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)/ (FWS) agency traces its origins back in1871, with the Commission on Fish and Fisheries was established with the aim of turning wildlife and Fish conservation into an official endeavor of the federal government. According to the United States 'Fish and Wildlife Service' (2018), FWS is a decentralized organization with regional and field offices all over the country that is headquartered in Washington, DC. It is also the only federal government agency whose sole responsibility involves the management of fish and wildlife on behalf of the American public. USFWS employs some 9,000 people, more or less at its various regional and field offices. The resources it manages include the 'National wildlife refuges and fish hatcheries', and 'fish resource offices' (About the U.S. 'Fish and Wildlife Service', 2018).

The core main aims of the FWS are; provision of assistance in developing and applying environmental conservations, provision of guidance in efforts of managing, developing and conserving aquatic and wildlife resources as well as administering a nationwide plan for creating public awareness on the importance of these resources (About the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2018). Day to day activities of the FWS agents include the enforcing the various federal wildlife regulations and laws such as the Bald Eagle Protection Act, the Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Marine Mammal protection act (About the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2018). The agents also concentrate their efforts in protecting endangered wildlife like the bald eagle and fishery species; handling of migratory birds and the conservation and restoration of significant wildlife and fishery habitats such as wetlands. They also go further as beyond our boundaries in a concerted effort of assisting external authorities with their international conservation efforts.

The 'National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration' is a scientific agency that is found within the United States Department of Commerce. It was officially established in 1970 when the Weather Bureau agency and the Commission of Fish and Fisheries were brought together, although its roots reach back more than 200 years(About us: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, n.d). The agency currently employs more than 12,000 personnel globally and has about 6,773 scientists and engineers working together to observe, understand and steward the environment. Ecosystems The mission of the NOAA involves understanding and predicting climatic changes, weather patterns, oceanic shifts, and coasts variations, as well as sharing the relevant knowledge and retrieved information with others, while engaging in stewardship and management of coastal and aquatic ecosystems and resources" (About us: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, n.d).

NOAA gives severe storm warnings through the National Weather Service, such as the recent Hurricane Florence in 2018 but it also deals with the study of the atmosphere and the conditions within it, oceanic conditions and major waterways and dissemination of such information, as may be needed. As a result, NOAA is vital as to the conservation of aquatic resources and the enforcement of fish and wildlife laws as the information it gathers can be used to protect and sustain aquatic ecosystems.

'Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife' (MDIFW) is a Maine state agency that was established in 1880 to enforce laws relating to important game species (About Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, n.d). From the very beginning, game wardens were appointed by the agency to patrol the state's woods and waters in order to control poaching. Nowadays, its role has broadened to include conservation programs for a variety of fish and wildlife resources, managing the wild game and restoring endangered species. In addition to that, its scope encompasses promotion of safe enjoyment of Maine's outdoors.

The 'U.S. National Park Service' is a federal agency under the state department under the interior department of the U.S. that is tasked with managing all the country's national parks, its national monuments as well as managing some other conservation and historical holdings and programs across the nation since it was formed in 1916.NPS is assigned the duty and responsibility of upholding the ecological and historical value of the places that fall under its purview, while at the same time making such places accessible and available for public use and enjoyment. Since NPS was created in 1916, it has relied upon volunteers to help in the preservation of cultural, historical and wildlife resources. Moyer (2015) opines that some of the volunteers included a couple of local pothunters, some relic hunters, and self-taught archeologists who played a critical role in excavating and preserving sites, in addition to citizens and advocates lobbying for policy-making protection of archeological, wildlife and natural resources.

These federal and state agencies Law enforcement agencies are dedicated to the protection of fish and wildlife. The work the agencies do is essential to the protection of our wildlife and fish resources and has evolved over the years to become a specialized form of law enforcement that allows for a healthy and sustainable environment within which both human beings and wildlife can co-exist, for conservation is important not just to us, but also for the generations that that will succeed us.

Work Cited

About the U.S. Fish and Wildlfie Service. (2018, October 16). Retrieved from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: https://www.fws.gov/help/about_us.html

About us: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (n.d). Retrieved from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): https://www.noaa.gov

About us: National Park Service. (n.d). Retrieved from National Park Service U.S. Department of Interior: https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/index.htm

About: Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. (n.d). Retrieved from Maine.gov: https://www.maine.gov/ifw/about/index.html

(2018). Conservation in Transition: Leading Change in the 21st Century. Virginia: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Moyer, T. S. (2015). Before 1916: The Roots of National Park Service Community. Journal of Community Archaeology & Heritage, 199-207.