A December 2002 report titled "The Nation's Fisheries: A Vision of the Future" by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or "the Service") began by stating that America's fish and other aquatic resources are still among the richest and most diverse in the world. The USFWS maintained that these resources, and the recreational, commercial, and subsistence opportunities they provide, have provided significant ecological, social and economic benefits to the nation (USFWS "Vision," 2002, p. 7). For example, the Service contends that recreational fishing contributed more than $35 billion to the American economy in 2001. The Service also notes, however, that despite past efforts to conserve these resources, many of them are declining at unsustainable rates (USFWS "Vision," 2002, p. 7).
For example, the Service notes that almost 400 aquatic species either have, or need, special protection and the number of species listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 2002 had increased to 19 amphibian species, 21 crustacean species, 70 mussel species, and 115 fish species (USFWS "Vision," 2002, p. 7). In addition, several threatened and endangered species of fish are important recreational, subsistence, and commercially species, including several species or populations of salmon, sturgeon, and trout. In particular, 213 of the 297 (73 percent) species of freshwater mussels in America are threatened, endangered, or of special concern (USFWS "Vision," 2002, p. 7). The Service believes that these declines in fish species and stocks are due largely to habitat loss or alteration as well as the impact of harmful exotic or transplanted species (USFWS "Vision," 2002, p. 7). For example, the Service contends that almost 53 percent of the nation's 221 million acres of wetlands have disappeared and the introduction of non-native species such as zebra mussels, Asian clams, and Asian carps have significantly harmed nat...