November 15, 2013 — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Friday that it does not intend to close any of the nation’s fish hatcheries in the current fiscal year, but warned that closures may be necessary in fiscal year 2015 given fiscal uncertainty and growing operations costs.
The service released a report Friday examining the challenges facing its National Fish Hatchery System, which will serve as the basis of discussions with stakeholders on how best to operate the system in a more sustainable manner while supporting the agency’s highest fish and aquatic conservation priorities.
“This report sounds the alarm on a hatchery system unable to meet its mission responsibilities in the current budget climate,” said service Director Dan Ashe. “In the coming months through the 2015 budget process, I have directed the Service to work with all of our partners to determine whether the options identified in the report, or others, are necessary and appropriate to put the system on a more sustainable financial footing.”
Ashe added that the agency intends to take immediate actions to prevent imminent closures, but noted that additional actions may be
necessary to address long-term funding shortfalls.
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