USFWS Fisheries Program Evaluation

Role: Principal Investigator/Report Author

Time Frame: 2008-2010

Deliverable: Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council. 2010. Programmatic Evaluation, Activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fisheries Program. FY 2005–2009. 209 pages.

In March 2009, the Director of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) requested the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council (SFBPC) undertake a “follow up evaluation” to assess the Fisheries Program’s progress in meeting its core aquatic resource conservation obligations. The FWS asked the SFBPC for assistance because of the Council’s long involvement with the FWS’s Fisheries Program as an advisory committee chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act.  

To conduct this evaluation, the SFBPC empaneled an eight-person Evaluation Team, chaired by Ken Haddad, representing a cross section of those organizations interested and experienced in aquatic resource conservation and in the conduct and impact of the Fisheries Program. To staff the Evaluation Team, SFBPC contracted with D.J. Case and Associates as project consultants and Whitney Tilt, Conservation BenchMarks, as the principal investigator. Evaluation design and data collection was initiated in July 2009 with a report delivered to the SFBPC in May 2010.  

The 2009 Evaluation examined the Fisheries Program’s performance for the period October 1, 2004, through September 30, 2009. The Team organized its examination according to eight areas of strategic emphasis common to both the FWS FY 2004 – 2008 Strategic Plan and the SFBPC Partnership Agenda report:

1. Accountability

2. Habitat Conservation and Management

3. Species Conservation and Management

·         Native Species

·         Interjurisdictional Fisheries

·         Aquatic Invasive Species

4. Cooperation with Native American Tribes

5. Recreational Fishing and Other Public Uses

• Recreational Fishing

• Mitigation Fisheries

• Outreach and Education

6. Aquatic Science and Technology

7. Asset Maintenance

8. Workforce Management

 One chapter of this report is devoted to each of the eight areas of emphasis. Each of the eight chapters is organized by: context, basis for evaluation, results, findings and observations, and recommendations to increase effectiveness.  

Report available on request.