WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Fish Habitat Partnership (NFHP) announced a new set of National Conservation Priorities for Aquatic Habitat Conservation for 2026–2031, establishing a five-year framework to guide collaborative efforts to protect, restore, and enhance fish habitat across the United States. Under the National Fish Habitat Through Partnerships Act, the National Fish Habitat Board (Board) is charged with establishing national goals and priorities for fish habitat conservation. The newly adopted priorities fulfill that responsibility while providing strategic direction for the fish habitat community, including NFHP and its 20 Fish Habitat Partnerships, as they work with states, federal agencies, Tribes, conservation organizations, local communities, industry, and other partners. The priorities are focused on conserving fish habitat to support clean water, increased fish populations, and improved public access.

“The National Fish Habitat Board represents the broadest array of aquatic habitat stakeholders, from tribes to conservation NGOs to private landowners to the fishing industry to public agencies. The priorities outlined by this diverse group provide some specific focal areas for the entire conservation community to rally around. These priorities are also closely aligned with the President’s Make America Beautiful Again agenda, promoting public access and healthy habitats that benefit the American people.” Said Chris Horton, Senior Director of Fisheries Policy at the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation and a Board member representing Marine Recreational Fishing. “By focusing our collective efforts on clean water, connected watersheds, and healthy and productive fish habitats, we can help ensure that fisheries and the communities that depend on them remain strong for generations to come.”

National Conservation Priorities for 2026–2031

Conservation of adequate amounts of clean water for fish and fishing
Clean and abundant water is fundamental to healthy fisheries and aquatic ecosystems. NFHP will work through its partnerships to:

• Conserve water quality and quantity in headwater streams;
• Promote best land-use practices that reduce nutrient inputs to aquatic systems and help decrease the occurrence of harmful algal blooms and hypoxic zones; and
• Reduce the impacts of water diversions and stream dewatering.

Using a watershed-based approach to conserve fish habitat connectivity
Connected aquatic systems allow fish and other aquatic species to move between habitats necessary for feeding, spawning, growth, and survival while supporting healthy watershed function. NFHP will:

• Support fish habitat connectivity projects that restore watershed function, including instream flow, temperature, salinity, nutrient, and sedimentation balance; and
• Expand, improve, and utilize the National Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative (NACC) barrier inventory and prioritization tool to help identify and prioritize aquatic connectivity projects.

Conservation of healthy and productive fish habitats
NFHP will continue working to conserve the diversity of habitats that sustain recreational, commercial, and culturally important fisheries across freshwater, coastal, and marine environments. Priorities include:

• Conserving nearshore and estuarine nursery habitats;
• Conserving and expanding kelp, coral, and other reef structures, including natural and artificial reefs;
• Conserving complex habitat in lake and reservoir systems; and
• Conserving riparian habitats.

The 2026–2031 National Conservation Priorities build upon NFHP’s 20-year history of locally driven, science-based conservation. Since its establishment in 2006, NFHP and its Fish Habitat Partnerships have brought together public and private partners to collaboratively address aquatic habitat challenges at a landscape scale.

The new priorities also complement the Third Edition of the National Fish Habitat Action Plan, released in August 2026, which establishes a strategic roadmap for NFHP over the next five years. Together, the Action Plan and National Conservation Priorities will help focus resources, strengthen coordination among partners, and demonstrate measurable benefits for fish, aquatic habitats, anglers, and communities.

“The strength of NFHP has always been its ability to translate national goals into locally driven conservation,” said Tim Schaeffer, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and Chair of the National Fish Habitat Board. “These priorities give our Fish Habitat Partnerships a shared national framework while maintaining the flexibility to address the unique conservation needs of their regions.”

Through its network of 20 Fish Habitat Partnerships, NFHP will use the priorities to help inform conservation planning, partnership development, project implementation, and future investments over the next five years.

We encourage all of our conservation partners to join us in bringing these national priorities to life through the work you’re already doing across the country.

For more information about the National Fish Habitat Partnership and its work to protect, restore, and enhance fish habitat across the United States, visit fishhabitat.org.

###

About the National Fish Habitat Partnership
Since 2006, NFHP has supported over 1,800 projects benefiting 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 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 (ACE) 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 the National Fish Habitat Board. For more information, visit: https://fishhabitat.org/