Through the , the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and partners are providing more than $23.4 million to support 53 on-the-ground fish habitat conservation projects in 29 states. The Service is providing $5.9 million this year, with non-governmental organizations, state resource agencies, and other partners contributing an additional $20.4 million. This represents a 6.7:1 leveraged funding match for NFHP funding.
These projects empower and boost locally led conservation efforts that restore and reconnect habitats to create more robust fish populations, improved fishing opportunities, and healthier waterways. Twenty individual Fish Habitat Partnerships across the nation make up our national efforts and work with a variety of partners, including private landowners, farmers and ranchers, Tribes, non-profit organizations, state, federal, and local government agencies, and many others to achieve fish habitat conservation goals that protect, restore, and enhance habitat conditions locally for fish.
In 2025, project types include removing barriers to fish passage, reducing erosion from farm and ranchlands, restoring stream banks, combating the impacts of drought, and conducting monitoring and assessment work to identify conservation needs for fish and their habitats. This year’s projects meet local priorities through partnerships that span from restoring urban and suburban streams to reconnecting tidal wetlands, in states across the country from Alaska to Vermont. Projects target and address limiting factors to improve habitat, water quality, and benefit our nation’s fisheries resources. This funding will also support the coordination of individual Fish Habitat Partnerships and the operations of the National Fish Habitat Board to help establish national priorities under NFHP.
"Annually, the National Fish Habitat Partnership focuses on putting priority conservation projects on-the-ground through partnerships, which benefit both fish and the American people," said Tim Schaeffer, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and Chair of the National Fish Habitat Board. "These locally-driven projects are designed to leave a conservation legacy for the protection, restoration and enhancement of fish habitat for future generations to enjoy in the outdoors."
NFHP uses a nationally focused aquatic conservation strategy to maximize the reach of limited fish habitat conservation dollars. Under NFHP, federal, state, Tribal, and privately raised funds are leveraged through regional Fish Habitat Partnerships to address the nation’s biggest fish habitat challenges. The Service is a key partner in implementing the partnership, providing leadership and technical expertise on the local, regional, and national levels, as well as financial assistance directly to partners for on-the-ground conservation projects. Since 2006, the Service has provided over $65.6 million to conservation projects which leveraged at a 5:1 ratio to provide over $335 million in funding support for fish habitat conservation projects that improve angling and recreational opportunities across the nation.
NFHP assembles the collective expertise of federal, state, and non-governmental organizations to identify and prioritize conservation work to achieve significant benefits for fish and other aquatic resources for the American people.
2025 National Fish Habitat Partnership Project List
| Project Name | Fish Habitat Partnership | NFHP Project Funds | Lead Organization | State |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oyster Reef Restoration for Increased Habitat and Ecosystem Services | Atlantic Coast Fish Habitat Partnership | $130,709 | Town of Marineland, University of Florida | FL |
| Atlantic Coast Fish Habitat Partnership Operational Funding | Atlantic Coast Fish Habitat Partnership | $125,000 | Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission | VA |
| Burke’s Pond Dam Removal, Restoration, Habitat Enhancement | Atlantic Coast Fish Habitat Partnership | $50,000 | Squan-a-Tissit Chapter of Trout Unlimited | MA |
| California Fish Passage Forum Coordination & Operational Support | California Fish Passage Forum | $125,000 | Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission | OR |
| Adobe Creek Barrier Assessment, Design and Permitting | California Fish Passage Forum | $132,000 | Sonoma County Public Infrastructure | CA |
| Dutch Bill Creek Market Street Weir Repair Fish Passage Improvement Project | California Fish Passage Forum | $48,717 | Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District | CA |
| Desert Fish Habitat Partnership Operations | Desert Fish Habitat Partnership | $125,000 | Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies | ID |
| White River Novel Three Species Toe Wood Habitat Case Study | Desert Fish Habitat Partnership | $32,770 | Colorado Parks and Wildlife | CO |
| Wall Canyon Sucker Barrier Project Phase II | Desert Fish Habitat Partnership | $108,350 | Nevada Department of Wildlife | NV |
| Sharing the Beauty and Value of Basin & Range Native Fishes | Desert Fish Habitat Partnership | $33,880 | Freshwaters Illustrated | NV |
| Driftless Area Restoration Effort Coordination, Operation and Partnership Support | Driftless Area Restoration Effort | $125,000 | Trout Unlimited | WI |
| Measuring Aquatic Organism Passage in the Driftless Area | Driftless Area Restoration Effort | $34,069 | Trout Unlimited | WI |
| Williams-Barneveld Creek Restoration Project Phase 2: Sediment Removal and Restoration | Driftless Area Restoration Effort | $75,000 | The Prairie Enthusiasts | WI |
| Evaluating the Distribution and Drivers of Coldwater Fish Communities | Driftless Area Restoration Effort | $71,657 | Upper Iowa University | IA |
| Restoration and Habitat Enhancement for Southern Appalachian Brook Trout | Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture | $50,000 | South Carolina Department of Natural Resources | SC |
| Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture Operations | Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture | $126,000 | Wildlife Management Institute | MD |
| Waits River Culvert Replacements in Groton State Forest | Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture | $50,000 | Trout Unlimited | VT |
| Batavia Kill Reconnection Project for Brook Trout | Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture | $49,870 | Trout Unlimited | NY |
| North Fork Bens Creek Aquatic Passage and Large Wood Project | Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture | $45,230 | Somerset Conservation District | PA |
| Fishers and Farmers Coordination Communication and Science | Fishers and Farmers Partnership | $121,000 | Fishers and Farmers Partnership | WI |
| Fishers and Farmers Workshop for Watershed Leaders | Fishers and Farmers Partnership | $35,000 | Habitat for Humanity of the Greater La Crosse Region | IL |
| Expanding and Protecting the Little Cannon River Fishery | Fishers and Farmers Partnership | $100,000 | Clean River Partners | MN |
| Farmer-Led Efforts to Improve Aquatic Habitat | Fishers and Farmers Partnership | $50,000 | American Farmland Trust | IL |
| Great Lakes Basin Fish Habitat Partnership Operational Support | Great Lakes Basin Fish Habitat Partnership | $125,000 | Great Lakes Basin Fish Habitat Partnership | MN |
| South Branch Buffalo River Restoration | Great Plains Fish Habitat Partnership | $18,800 | Buffalo - Red River Watershed District | MN |
| Laramie County Native Fish Habitat Project | Great Plains Fish Habitat Partnership | $60,000 | Laramie County Conservation District | WY |
| Great Plains Fish Habitat Partnership Operational Funding | Great Plains Fish Habitat Partnership | $125,000 | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | ND |
| Hawaii Fish Habitat Partnership Operational Support | Hawaii Fish Habitat Partnership | $125,000 | Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commision | HI |
| Aquatic Habitat Restoration in Kalou Fishpond in the Waialeʻe | Hawaii Fish Habitat Partnership | $80,500 | North Shore Community Land Trust | HI |
| Kenai Peninsula Fish Habitat Partnership Coordination and Operational Support | Kenai Peninsula Fish Habitat Partnership | $85,000 | Kenai Watershed Forum | AK |
| River Center Access and Restoration Demonstration Project | Kenai Peninsula Fish Habitat Partnership | $18,200 | Kenai Peninsula Borough | AK |
| Kenaitze's Kenai River Baseline Water Quality Monitoring | Kenai Peninsula Fish Habitat Partnership | $43,763 | Kenaitze Indian Tribe | AK |
| Stream Watch: Volunteer Restoration and Outreach on the Kenai Peninsula | Kenai Peninsula Fish Habitat Partnership | $54,985 | Kenai Watershed Forum | AK |
| Mat-Su Basin Salmon Habitat Partnership Coordination and Outreach Engagement | Mat-Su Basin Salmon Habitat Partnership | $126,000 | Trout Unlimited | AK |
| Protecting Groundwater Connections for Mat-Su Basin Salmon Habitat Resilience | Mat-Su Basin Salmon Habitat Partnership | $57,215 | Cook Inletkeeper | AK |
| Anadromous Fish and Northern Pike Detection on the Upper Tributaries of the Theodore and Ivan Rivers | Mat-Su Basin Salmon Habitat Partnership | $47,400 | Tyonek Tribal Conservation District | AK |
| Removing Salmon Barriers Through the Mat-Su Fish Passage Program: Cottonwood Creek Fish Passage Culvert Replacement | Mat-Su Basin Salmon Habitat Partnership | $60,000 | Mat-Su Borough | AK |
| Elodea Surveys within Nancy Lake State Recreation Area | Mat-Su Basin Salmon Habitat Partnership | $17,514 | Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association | AK |
| Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership Operations | Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership | $81,898 | Michigan Department of Natural Resources | MI |
| Acre-for-acre Restoration of Lake Hydrology and Pike Spawning Habitat | Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership | $84,310 | Cedar Lake Improvement Board | MI |
| Advancing a Statewide Lake Steward Program to Promote Natural Shorelines and Fish Habitat | Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership | $58,250 | Minnesota Lakes and Rivers Advocates | MN |
| Ottawa County Natural Shoreline Restoration Project | Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership | $68,385 | Ottawa Conservation District | MI |
| Walleye Habitat Engagement in Wisconsin | Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership | $12,741 | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | WI |
| Cloverlick Creek Dam Removal and Stream Restoration | Ohio River Basin Fish Habitat Partnership | $79,000 | Clermont County Soil and Water Conservation District | OH |
| Coordination of the Ohio River Basin Fish Habitat Partnership | Ohio River Basin Fish Habitat Partnership | $124,412 | American Rivers | MN |
| Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative Coordination and Operational Support | Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative | $126,000 | Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission | OR |
| Enhancing Off-Channel Habitat for Pacific Lamprey in Salmon Creek | Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative | $37,280 | Cascade Forest Conservancy | WA |
| Lower Sutton Creek Aquatic Organism Passage Project | Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative | $15,000 | Nestucca Neskowin and Sand Lake Watersheds Council | OR |
| Epigenetics of Pacific Lamprey Sex and Maturation | Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative | $99,930 | University of Idaho | ID |
| Enhancing the Lamprey Knowledge Base in the Stillaguamish and Snohomish River Basins | Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative | $27,500 | Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife | WA |
| Pacific Marine and Estuarine Fish Habitat Partnership Operational Support | Pacific Marine and Estuarine Fish Habitat Partnership | $126,000 | Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission | OR |
| Assessing Seagrass Restoration Effectiveness from the Perspective of Fish Communities | Pacific Marine and Estuarine Fish Habitat Partnership | $89,650 | Oregon State University | OR |
| Catalina Island Eelgrass Restoration | Pacific Marine and Estuarine Fish Habitat Partnership | $90,067 | The Bay Foundation | CA |
| Reservoir Fisheries Habitat Partnership Operations | Reservoir Fisheries Habitat Partnership | $95,000 | Reservoir Fish Habitat Partnership | TX |
| Cochiti Lake Aquatic Habitat Enhancement Project | Reservoir Fisheries Habitat Partnership | $40,000 | Sun Country Outdoors | NM |
| Lake Keomah Fish Habitat Improvement | Reservoir Fisheries Habitat Partnership | $75,000 | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | IA |
| Mark Twain Lake Fisheries Habitat Development Project | Reservoir Fisheries Habitat Partnership | $20,000 | Mark Twain Lake Friends of Recreation and Environmental Stewardship Council | MO |
| Blue Marsh Lake Shoreline Project | Reservoir Fisheries Habitat Partnership | $75,000 | Berks County Conservation District | PA |
| Southeast Alaska Fish Habitat Partnership Coordination and Operational Support | Southeast Alaska Fish Habitat Partnership | $126,000 | Trout Unlimited | AK |
| Freshwater Temperature Monitoring to Inform Restoration and Conservation | Southeast Alaska Fish Habitat Partnership | $64,891 | Takshanuk Watershed Council | AK |
| Supporting Tribal Stewardship of Salmon Watersheds near Ketchikan: Fish Habitat Assessment and Restoration | Southeast Alaska Fish Habitat Partnership | $66,000 | Ketchikan Indian Community | AK |
| Restoring Salmon and Fish Habitat on Kootznoowoo | Southeast Alaska Fish Habitat Partnership | $65.000 | Kootznoowoo, Inc. | AK |
| Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership Operational Funding | Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership | $125,000 | Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies | NC |
| Restoration of Submersed Aquatic Vegetation in the St. Johns River | Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership | $100,000 | Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership | FL |
| Aquatic Connectivity and Habitat Restoration in the Middle New River Watershed | Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership | $50,000 | Canaan Valley Institute | VA |
| Increasing Local Resident Capacity Support in USFWS Assessment Projects | Southwest Alaska Salmon Habitat Partnership | $25,000 | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | AK |
| Southwest Alaska Salmon Habitat Partnership Coordination | Southwest Alaska Salmon Habitat Partnership | $125,000 | Bristol Bay Heritage Land Trust | AK |
| Modeling Early Life Stage Salmon Developmental Rates Under Future Environmental Change Scenarios | Southwest Alaska Salmon Habitat Partnership | $53,800 | Biodiversity Research Institute | AK |
| Gray Prairie Gray Creek Restoration | Western Native Trout Initiative | $31,457 | Heart of Oregon Corps | OR |
| Dude Creek Habitat Restoration | Western Native Trout Initiative | $33,000 | Arizona Game and Fish Department | AZ |
| Western Native Trout Initiative Operational Support | Western Native Trout Initiative | $125,000 | Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies | ID |
| Fish Passage Restoration on Timber and Rose Creek | Western Native Trout Initiative | $75,000 | Wyoming Game and Fish Department | WY |
| Restoration and Safeguarding of California Gold Trout Populations in the South Fork Kern River | Western Native Trout Initiative | $44,764 | Trout Unlimited | CA |
About the National Fish Habitat Partnership
Since 2006, NFHP has supported over 1,500 projects benefitting fish habitat throughout all 50 states. This effort works to conserve fish habitat nationwide, leveraging federal, state, Tribal, and private funding resources to achieve the greatest effect on fish populations through priority conservation projects of 20 Fish Habitat Partnerships that are organized around key fish species, geographic areas, or important fish habitats. In 2020, NFHP was recognized by Congress as part of the America’s Conservation Enhancement Act and was reauthorized in 2024 through passage of the America's Conservation Enhancement Reauthorization Act. NFHP guidance and policies are developed in conjunction with our partnerships and National Fish Habitat Board.
To learn more about the partnership, please visit: .
To learn more about past projects and accomplishments, please visit: .
