CONSERVATION CORNER
Fish Habitat Initiative
by James L. Cummins

In June 2005, the National Fish Habitat Initiative steering committee held its third meeting to continue refining the nationwide effort to coordinate and enhance habitat efforts for fisheries as this massive effort gets underway. A major focus of this meeting was assuring the entities that have authority for managing fishery habitats have accurate and appropriate communication tools for their use.

The National Fish Habitat Initiative's partners are establishing broad goals by which progress will be measured nationally; identifying a structure to determine the type of information needed to measure progress; and creating a framework to complete work on the ground. A report detailing these goals and steps toward implementation is scheduled for release in Fall of 2005.

Under the Initiative, state, federal and tribal governments, non-profit conservation organizations, individuals and corporations have joined forces to develop and launch this plan to restore America's waterways and fisheries.

A key part of this plan will involve the hundreds of local watershed groups that are already managing projects to restore habitat and fisheries. The design of the plan is being compared to the enormous success of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan which was implemented in the 1980s to forge partnerships for the enhancement, restoration and protection of millions of acres of wetland wintering and breeding areas for waterfowl and other wetland wildlife.

The National Fish Habitat Plan's partners agree the vision for this effort is a Nation with healthy and abundant aquatic habitats that support diverse fish populations and sustainable public use. The plan is the first of its kind in scope and is designed to improve the prospects for fish and fishing across the country in a unified way.

Fishing is extremely important to Mississippi's economy. Freshwater and saltwater, combined, is the second most requested information from the Mississippi Division of Tourism.

Sportsmen in Mississippi annually pay $55.6 million in state sales, fuel and income taxes. Mississippi's sportsmen annually spend more than the value of the state's cotton crop ($670 million versus $406 million).

To learn more about the National Fish Habitat Initiative, supporting partners and administrative structure, please visit www.fishhabitat.org.

James L. Cummins is Executive Director of the Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Foundation in Stoneville, Mississippi. Known as "Wildlife Mississippi," the Foundation is a non-profit, conservation organization founded to conserve, restore and enhance fish, wildlife and plant resources throughout Mississippi. Their web site is www.wildlifemiss.org.