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Bring Back the Native Fish
Bring Back the Native Fish (BBNF) awarded its first grant in 1991 and invested nationwide for over 30 years in conservation activities that restore, protect and enhance native populations of sensitive or listed fish species across the United States, especially in areas on or adjacent to federal agency lands. The program emphasized coordination between private landowners and federal agencies, Tribes, corporations and states to improve the ecosystem functions and health of watersheds.
Partners
Leading factors in native fish species decline include habitat alteration, lack of adequate in-stream flows and invasive and/or non-native species. BBNF awarded grants nationwide to projects that conserve aquatic ecosystems, increase in-stream flows and build partnerships that benefit native fish species throughout the United States. The program also provided grants to implement the goals of the National Fish Habitat Action Plan.
BBNF supported projects that advance innovation in fisheries management, including developing decision support tools, landscape-scale assessments to determine where to implement restoration to maximize native fish recovery, piloting innovative restoration techniques, identifying key flow restoration thresholds that enhance fish habitat and water quality in flow-limited systems, and innovative public outreach methods like crowd-sourcing data or information needed for native fish conservation.
Over the course of its lifespan, BBNF funded 530 grants totaling nearly $28 million in conservation investments. It addressed critical conservation needs for over 38 native fish and aquatic species and made foundational investments in aquatic environmental DNA (eDNA), including the development of sampling templates and protocols to ensure standardization in data collection.
Program Fact Sheet | Download the PDF | |
2022 Grant Slate | Download the PDF | |
2021 Grant Slate | Download the PDF | |
2020 Grant Slate | Download the PDF | |
2019 Grant Slate | Download the PDF | |
2018 Grant Slate | Download the PDF | |
2017 Grant Slate | Download the PDF | |
2016 Grant Slate | Download the PDF | |
2015 Grant Slate | Download the PDF | |
2014 Grant Slate | Download the PDF | |
2013 Grant Slate | Download the PDF | |
2012 Grant Slate | Download the PDF |
Manager, Southwest Rivers Program
Coordinator, Regional Programs