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 |
Program Director, Southwest Rivers
Coordinator, Regional Programs
Related Species
River herring
Alewife and blueback herring—collectively known as river herring—are diadromous fishes that spend most of their lives at sea but return to river and streams to spawn. Once abundant throughout the Atlantic seaboard, river herring populations have declined due to overfishing and habitat loss associated with the construction of dams. Recent conservation efforts have seen millions of river herring return to streams throughout New England, a promising sign not just for river herring, but also myriad other species that rely on them as an important food source.
Coho salmon
Coho salmon is one of five salmon species along the West Coast of the United States, from the Alaskan arctic to Santa Cruz, California. The species is anadromous and populations in the lower portion of its range are severely affected by barriers to stream passage and ocean conditions, freshwater availability and land-use practices.
Cutthroat trout
Cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii) encompasses a number of distinct trout subspecies. These are iconic denizens of western landscapes, known for the red "cutthroat" under their jaw. They are associated with cold, clean, highly oxygenated streams, though many of the forms live in lakes and one is anadromous. Cutthroat trout are impacted by stream barriers, invasive fish and de-watering of their habitat.
Guadalupe bass
The Guadalupe bass is the state fish of Texas -- the only place on earth where the species is found. The main threats to the species are reduced stream flow and hybridization with nonnative smallmouth bass.
American shad
The American shad is an anadromous fish that can be found in rivers and coastal waters along the entire Atlantic coast. Once supporting a large commercial fishery, shad have declined in abundance following decades of overfishing and the construction of dams along migration routes, which reduces access to spawning habitat.
Lake sturgeon
The lake sturgeon is native to rivers and lakes from Hudson Bay to the Mississippi River. It is among the longest-living fish, with some individuals living more than 100 years. A species that evolved more than 150 million years ago, overfishing, particularly in the Great Lakes system, has decimated populations and recovery has been slow due to low reproductive rates and other sustained antropogenic threats such as pollution and introduced aquatic species.
Lahontan cutthroat trout
The Lahontan cutthroat trout is a distinct species of cutthroat trout, native to cold-water habitats throughout the Lahontan Basin of northern Nevada, eastern California, and southern Oregon. Lahontan cutthroat trout have been listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act since 1975, with key threats identified as habitat fragmentation and degradation that have led to genetic isolation and increased competition.
Brook trout
Brook trout are the only trout native to the eastern United States and inhabit coldwater rivers and lakes. Sensitive to even small declines in water quality and increases in sedimentation, brook trout can serve as excellent indicators of the health of a stream or river ecosystem.
