Based in Fairbanks, and in collaboration with our Utqiaġvik (Barrow) Satellite Office, we work with others to deliver conservation over approximately 338-million acres of Alaska. Our responsibilities generally range from the Yukon River Delta region in southwest Alaska, eastward to the Canadian border and northward. Our work also involves offshore federal waters in the Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort seas.

About Us

Our staff work in an area that stretches across the northern part of Alaska. 

a map of alaska split into a northern and southern half
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What We Do

We specialize in ecology, biology, fisheries science and management, project evaluation and mitigation, statistics, environmental contaminants, and working with federally-qualified subsistence users. We work side-by-side with myriad partners to understand, protect and restore aquatic resources of northern Alaska, assist management of subsistence fish species and uphold the U.S.-Canada Yukon River Salmon Agreement, assess, minimize and mitigate the impacts of large-scale development projects, recover listed eider species, restore degraded habitats, and build positive relationships with others to conserve fish, wildlife and their habitats for the American people and future generations. Some of the services we provide within the communities we serve include technical assistance, funding, and conservation capacity and guidance. 

Services
Butterfly rests on tall flowering plant.
ESA Section 7 Consultation
ESA Section 7 Consultation 

Section 7 Consultation is the process that federal agencies must use to ensure they are not harming listed species or their habitat. Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act requires federal agencies to consult with us on actions that they:

...
Service
Consultation and Technical Assistance
A bird nest with three chicks in it.
Technical Assistance to Protect Breeding and Nesting Birds

Birds are most sensitive during breeding and nesting, when vegetation clearing, ground disturbance, and other site construction activities can destroy active bird nests, eggs, or nestlings. The most effective way to protect nesting birds is to conduct these activities before or after the...

Service
Consultation and Technical Assistance
Landowner - Commercial
Landowner - Individual
Private Land Owners/Managers
Public Land Manager
streambank with ferns
Alaska Streambank/Lake Shore Restoration Cost-Share

We provide funding and technical expertise for projects that restore and protect fish habitat. Examples of past successful projects include:

Bank stabilization using natural materials (like rootwads and cabled spruce trees) and bioengineering. Light-penetrating gratewalks, decks...
Service
Consultation and Technical Assistance
Financial Assistance
Land Management and Conservation Assistance
Landowner - Individual
Private Land Owners/Managers
woman holding survey equipment
Fish Passage Technical and Planning Assistance

The National Fish Passage Program provides financial and technical assistance for projects that improve the ability of fish or other aquatic species to migrate by reconnecting habitat that has been fragmented by a barrier such as a dam or culvert. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists...

Service
Consultation and Technical Assistance
Land Management and Conservation Assistance
Two brown birds and one birds with a white and green head and orange bill rest on the water.
Technical Assistance to Prevent Bird-Vessel Strike in the Alaska Marine Environment

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provides technical assistance to help reduce human vessel interactions with avian species listed under U.S. Endangered Species Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Birds flying in the marine environment are not expecting to encounter vertical structures...

Service
Consultation and Technical Assistance
Angler
Business Owner/Commercial Business
Importer/Exporter
Military
Oil/Gas Company
Utility Company
The wetlands of the Yukon Delta
Technical Assistance for Broadband Projects

In anticipation of substantial expansion of broadband capability in Alaska, the Alaska Region of the US Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has compiled Best Management Practices (BMPs) for project proponents to consider early in the planning and project development process to avoid and minimize...

Service
Consultation and Technical Assistance
Business Owner/Commercial Business
Government or Government Representative - Local Government
Government or Government Representative - State Government
Utility Company

Our Organization

A rocky shoreline of a river. The water is calm. Mist and green branches line the river.
The Ecological Services Program works to restore and protect healthy populations of fish, wildlife, and plants and the environments upon which they depend. Using the best available science, we work with federal, state, Tribal, local, and non-profit stakeholders, as well as private land owners, to...
Program
Baileys Crossroads,VA
Juvenile Northern Pike in aquarium at Gavins Point National Fish Hatchery, South Dakota
The Fish and Aquatic Conservation program leads aquatic conservation efforts for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. We are committed to tackling the nation’s highest priority aquatic conservation and recreational challenges to conserve, restore, and enhance fisheries for future generations.
Program
Falls Church,VA
A person is walks through a large wide culvert that passes under a gravel road. A small river runs through the culvert.
Across the country, millions of barriers are fragmenting rivers, blocking fish migration, and putting communities at higher risk to flooding. Improving fish passage is one of the most effective ways to help conserve vulnerable species while building safer infrastructure for communities and...
Program
Partners for Fish and Wildlife: Nevada Coordinator Susan Abele Meets with Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Member to Conduct a Site Visit at Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation
The Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program provides free technical and financial assistance to landowners, managers, tribes, corporations, schools and nonprofits interested in improving wildlife habitat on their land. Since 1987, we have helped more than 30,000 landowners to complete more than 50,...
Program

Projects and Research

man holding a sheefish
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Selawik Sheefish Study

In the spring of 2004, thawing permafrost caused a large landslide (slump) in the upper Selawik River within Alaska's Selawik National Wildlife Refuge. As the slump grew it discharged tons of sediment upstream of the Selawik sheefish population's spawning grounds. This fish is an important Refuge fixture and year-round subsistence food for the Inupiat people living in the Selawik/Kotzebue...

Selawik Sheefish Study
man folding a net into a raft
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North Slope Dolly Varden Studies

When woolly mammoths still roamed Earth, rain and snow fell on the south side of Alaska’s Brooks Range. Those same ancient waters are just now entering frozen rivers on Alaska’s North Slope via perennial springs. And they hold the key to survival for salmon-sized Dolly Varden and several other species of fish in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Read more about Alaska's North Slope...

North Slope Dolly Varden Studies
man standing in a large arch culvert
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Cripple Creek Fish Passage Restoration

This multi-year project has sought to reconnect habitat and restore fish passage in Fairbanks, Alaska.  

Cripple Creek’s natural channel was abandoned in 1935 when streamflow was diverted into an artificial drain constructed to carry wastewater and sediment from hydraulic mining activity in the Ester area. Though mining activity ceased years ago, the drain channel...

Cripple Creek Fish Passage Restoration
A black and white photo of the nose of a motor boat, taken from within the boat, as it rumbles through the Yukon River. Beyond the boat, and everywhere around it, is water.
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Yukon River Subsistence Fishery Management

The Federal Subsistence Board has given Delegated Authority to the Federal Inseason Fishery manager to manage subsistence fishing for salmon in all Federal Public waters of the Yukon Area.

The Federal manager and a team of assessment and management biologists work together with State of Alaska managers, Office of Subsistence Management staff, Regional Advisory Councils, USFWS Refuge...

Yukon River Subsistence Fishery Management

Latest News

a clear creek with trees in the background
Habitat Restoration
$7.5M More in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funding to Support Salmon and Communities
Efforts to remove salmon migration barriers in Alaska will receive an additional $7.5 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds. This most recent round of funding will go towards projects in Southeast Alaska, the Mat-Su Valley, and along the Yukon River.
Close Up of Federal Wildlife Officer/Pilot taxis at an airport with the entry window/door open.
Our People
A 67 Million Acre Open Air Office
How do you pack for a patrol of an area the size of Mississippi? What do you pack? A lunch? What about a week's worth of food, a tent, sleeping bag, and your flight helmet? Those are exactly what Senior Federal Wildlife Officer (SFWO) Cody Smith packs at a minimum for a patrol of his over 67-...
a fish with a birthday hat next to a cupcake. The text says "sorry, you're not invited to BIL's birthday". A culvert with eyes is saying "after all I didn't do for you?!"
Wildlife Wonders
Graduating from Blowouts to Bridges
While most two-year-olds are still blowing out their nappies, BIL (short for Bipartisan Infrastructure Law) investments are blowing out fish passage barriers across Alaska and no one is more relieved than the fish and people who depend on them.
Close up of a black dog with a background out of focus. Dog is looking to the side with a black collar on. The dog has a white outline of hair around his upper lips that extend slightly down his neck.
Our People
Wildlife Inspector Canine
Wildlife Inspector Canines work with Wildlife Inspectors to help combat international wildlife trafficking. Dock, a black Labrador from Georgia, has spent seven years working with the Office of Law Enforcement in Alaska.
A hunter wearing blaze orange sleeved shirt and hat kneels down touching a hunting dog on a grassy hill top with out of focus hills in the background.
Our People
The Land We Share
The Land We Share, a book developed by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Alaska Geographic. The book is comprised of over 60 outdoor essays that focus on the reverence for and lessons from our public lands, the wildlife, and relationships (people...
An interpretive sign depicting Cripple Creek and its history, in front of the Chena River and fireweed stems.
Habitat Restoration
Natural flows return to Cripple Creek
Nearly 90 years after its channel was abandoned, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service employees, partners, local students and community landowners strive to restore its natural flow.
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Our Library

salmon and char swimming over bedrock
Alaska Fisheries Reports
Fisheries Data Series and Technical Data Series Reports from Alaska.
Library Collection
15 Items

Location and Contact Information