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Fish & Wildlife Dept history
Fish & Wildlife Dept company history timeline
1821 - Hudson Bay Company established headquarters at Vancouver under leadership of John McLaughlin.
1862 - Deer hunting is prohibited for five years.
1866 - First cannery built by Hume Brothers on Columbia at Eagle Cliff, Washington.
In 1870 the Board of Fish Commissioners, the forerunner of the modern day Fish and Game Commission, was established to provide for the restoration and preservation of fish in California waters.
1870 - A Board of Fish Commissioners is created.
1871: United States Commission on Fish and Fisheries created.
1871 - Nine county Fish Wardens are appointed.
1872: Fish hatcheries authorized by Congress for propagation of food fishes, initial appropriation is $15,000.
1872 - First game laws close deer hunting from Feb.
1877- First fish hatchery built by United States Fish Commission on Clackamas River and operated by Livingston Stone.
1878 - First state Fish Commission.
1882 - First successful introduction of Chinese pheasants in North America near Peterson Butte in Linn County.
1884 - A law was enacted which empowered Fish Wardens to enforce game laws; hence the position as NJ Fish and Game Wardens was created.
1885: Office of Economic Ornithology created in Department of Agriculture with a $5000 appropriation.
1885 – Construction begins on first Willamette Falls fishway, made of roughhewn rock.
1887 - Three men State Board of Fish Commissioners set up by Legislature with $1,000 budget to enforce fish and game laws and operate hatchery for two years.
1890 - The first Fish Commissioner, James Crawford, is appointed by Governor Elisha Ferry.
1891 - The Washington Legislature appropriates funds for a salmon hatchery.
A decade later this Board was given authority over game birds and mammals, and in 1892 the Board of Fish Commissioners was renamed the Fish and Game Commission.
NJFW has a rich heritage dating back to 1892 and the creation of a commission form of wildlife administration with an appointed, salaried Fish and Game Protector.
1893 - First combined fish and game administration in the state's history when the Legislature appointed Hollister McGuire as the State Game and Fish Protector.
In 1895 the legislature created the Fish and Oyster Commission to regulate fishing.
1895 - The first salmon hatchery is built and dedicated on the Kalama River.
1895 - A law enforcement staff of a Protector and 25 county wardens is established.
1896: Division of Biological Survey was formed out of Division of Economic Ornithology and Mammalogy.
1896 - Volunteer Deputy Fish and Game Wardens are authorized.
1897 - A uniform procedure was created for fish and game enforcement.
1898 - McGuire released the first ever fin-clipped salmon in Oregon.
1899 - Legislature created Game Board with position of Game and Forestry Warden; L.B.W. Quimby appointed.
1900: Lacey Act passed.
1901 - First bag limit for trout of 125 per day and first duck limit with 50 allowed per day.
1901 - There are twenty-five Fish and Game Wardens and one Game Protector, George Riley of Newark.
1902 - The first license, a non-resident hunting license for $10.50, is required.
1903: President Theodore Roosevelt establishes nation's first wildlife refuge on March 14 at Pelican Island National Bird Reservation.
1903 - First record of concern over water quality when Deputy Warden Webster filed a complaint against Rainier Mill and Lumber Company for allowing sawdust to enter the Columbia River.
In 1905, it was renamed the Bureau of Biological Survey.
1905 - State Game Fund established.
200: Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument--the first marine national monument--was established by Presidential proclamation under the authority of the Antiquities Act of 1906.
1907 -First fishway completed over Willamette Falls at a cost of $2,600.
In 1909 the Board of Fish Commissioners' name was changed to the Fish and Game Commission, which reflected the growing importance of game conservation.
1909: President Roosevelt establishes 26 Bird Reservations, Mount Olympus National Monument in Washington for elk, and Fire Island, Alaska for moose.
1909 - Central Hatchery (Bonneville) completed, including hatchery house, several nursery ponds, one rearing pond, and superintendent's residence.
1909 - State residents required to purchase a hunting license at a cost of $1.15.
1911 - A $3.00 bicycle maintenance allowance is provided to wardens.
In 1912, the legislature approved the formation of the “Kentucky Game and Fish Commission” but neglected to provide operational funds.
1912 -Elk from Wyoming shipped by train and released at Billy Meadows in Wallowa County.
1912 - The State Fish Hatchery at Hackettstown begins propagation of brook trout.
One record reports 190 game wardens in 1913.
1913: The Federal Migratory Bird Law gives federal government authority over hunting of migratory birds and the first migratory bird hunting regulations were adopted
1913 - Brown and rainbow trout are added to hatchery production.
1915 - Legislature passes a new game and game-fish code that provides for a chief game warden and a fish commissioner, both managed under Chief Game Warden L. H. Darwin of the Department of Fish and Game.
1915 - The first fishing license is required; enforcement could now be adequately funded.
The agency also tried to replenish the depleted game supply, beginning with quail in 1916.
1916: Treaty signed between United States and Great Britain (representing Canada) to protect migratory birds.
1918: Migratory Bird Treaty Act passed by United States Congress implementing the convention between the United States and Great Britain (Canada) for the protection of migratory birds.
1918 - A statewide survey of streams is conducted for trout management purposes.
1919 – Beaver trapping season reopens after nearly 20-year closure.
1920 - In a report, Hatchery Superintendent Clanton credited the increased Columbia River salmon run to Oregon hatchery methods.
1921 - Legislature abolishes the Fish Commission and replaced it with a Department of Fisheries, with a Division of Fisheries and a Division of Game and Game Fish.
1921 - A "Manual of Instruction" is provided to wardens which contained three sections: General, Legal and Accounting.
1922 - License fees go into the dedicated Hunters and Anglers Fund to be expended for fish and game activities.
In its first five months, the new agency took in almost $31,000 from license sales. (Five years later, license income jumped to around $41,000 and 1923 produced almost $70,000.) The commission could only spend money from license sales, but agency didn't have exclusive control of all license revenue.
The State Parks Board was created as a separate entity in 1923.
1923 - 144 acres are acquired in Warren County to construct the Rockport Game Farm.
1924 - Pheasants are raised at High Point on land donated by Colonel A.R. Kuser.
1925 - The annual report of the Game Commission expressed concern about water shortages, increased pressure due to the automobile, and the demands for more fish, more game, more patrol, and more protection.
1925 - Wardens become involved with marine laws and regulations.
1926 - The Governor is requested to take up with Federal authorities the possibility of acquiring old vessels to sink offshore to enhance fishing.
In 1927 the first deer tag ($1.00) was issued.
In 1927 the administrative functions of the original Commission were assumed by the newly established Division of Fish and Game, set up within the Department of Natural Resources.
1927 – First regulated hunting season for black bear in southwest Oregon.
1929 - New Jersey leads the nation in production of pheasants with 16,936 reared and 6,659 purchased.
In 1931, the state made its first land acquisition and 1,604 acres in Caldwell County became the Jones-Keeney Wildlife Management Area (WMA). Seven years later, 1,288 acres of Harlan County land became Cranks Creek WMA.
1931: Animal Damage Control Act provides broad authority to control predators, rodents and birds under United States Department of Interior.
1932 - One-third of every resident license fee goes to the "Public Shooting and Fishing Grounds Fund." In June, 135 acres are purchased as "Public Shooting Grounds" in Sussex County which eventually becomes the Flatbrook-Roy Wildlife Management Area.
1932 - An initiative separates food fish and game fish and creates a Department of Fisheries (food fish) under an appointed director, and a Department of Game (game fish) under a six-member commission.
1932 - Oregon Legislature authorizes the Game Commission to set trapping regulations.
1933 - Separate fishing and hunting licenses cost $2.00; a combination license costs $3.00.
In 1934, the federal duck stamp program began.
1934: Original Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act authorized the Secretaries of Agriculture and Commerce to "provide assistance to and cooperate with Federal and State agencies" on issues involving the protection and production of fish and wildlife.
1934: President Franklin Roosevelt appoints "Ding" Darling to head the Bureau of Biological Survey.
1934 - The Bureau of Wildlife Management is formed.
1935: Lacey Act amended to prohibit foreign commerce in illegally taken wildlife.
In 1935, relying on data from waterfowl banding, Frederick Lincoln developed the Flyways concept.
1936: Convention between the United States and Mexico for the protection of migratory birds and game mammals is signed.
1937: Congress passes Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act (Pittman-Robertson Act). The Act makes federal funds available for state wildlife protection and propagation.
A Brief History of the Oregon State Game Commission 1937 (pdf)
1938 - First class of fish and wildlife students graduated from Oregon State University.
1940: Fish and Wildlife Service is created by combining the Bureau of Fisheries and the Bureau of Biological Survey within the Department of Interior.
1941 - Legislature delegated authority to the Game Commission to set sessions and bag limits and to install screens in ditches under 8 feet wide.
1942: Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters Office moves to Chicago for the duration of World War II.
1942: First Refuge Field Manual issued addressing a variety of organizational, personnel and management topics.
1942 - South Twin Lake chemically treated, marking first lake rehabilitation project.
Kentuckian Steve Wakefield, Shelbyville, served as director until 1944 when a new governor’s administration made the next major step in the development of the organization.
1944 - Summer Lake becomes first state wildlife area.
1944 - Despite loss of revenue and manpower shortages due to the war, planning of post-war activities continues.
The Fish and Game Commission’s regulatory process is governed by the California Administrative Procedure Act (APA). APA is a series of acts of the California Legislature, first enacted June 15, 1945.
1945 - Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep are no longer found in Oregon.
1945 - An act of the Legislature reorganizes the Fish and Game Department as the Division of Fish and Game within the new Department of Conservation.
Future legislatures continued to prohibit deer hunting until 1946.
1946: The Service's River Basin Studies Program was founded in response to amendments to the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act and growing demands for more protection of fish and wildlife resources threatened by large federal water projects.
1946 - Game Commission Bulletin (now Oregon Wildlife) began publication.
1946 - Investigations are made into the possibility of applying the "new science of electronics" to the incubators at State game farms.
1948 - The Department of Conservation is reorganized as the Department of Conservation and Economic Development.
The "Ken Lockwood Gorge" of the South Branch of the Raritan River is so designated by Joint Resolution as a memorial to Kenneth F. Lockwood, an influential conservationist who wrote a popular outdoors column for the now defunct Newark Evening News before his death in 1948.
1949: Duck Stamp Act increases fee to $2 while allowing up to 25% of any refuge's area to be used for hunting.
1949 - The first training conference for Fish and Game Wardens was held.
1950 - The Bureau of Fisheries Laboratory (originally the N.J. Lake Survey Unit) is created and its research is applied to trout management.
Peregrine falcons successfully breed for the first time east of the Mississippi since 1950.
1951: Administrative Flyway system for waterfowl management adopted.
1951 - Phil Schneider became State Game Director.
1951 - New Jersey agrees to the provisions of the Act of Congress, known as the Dingell-Johnson Bill, to "aid states in fish restoration and management projects."
1952 - Flyway Councils, bio-administrative units to offer guidance to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, are formed.
1953 - Trout stamps are required, helping to defray rising trout production costs, increase trout production and orient the cost of production toward the trout angler.
1954 - California bighorn sheep reintroduced to Hart Mountain.
1955: The Continnental Waterfowl Population Survey Program begins standardized cooperative surveys performed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Canadian Wildlife Service, state and provincial biologists, and non-governmental cooperators.
1955 - New applicants for hunting licenses between the ages of 14 and 21 must pass a four-hour hunter safety course.
1956: The Fish and Wildlife Act of l956 established a comprehensive national fish and wildlife policy and broadened the authority for acquisition and development of refuges.
1956: The Fish and Wildlife Service re-organized into the United States Fish and Wildlife Service consisting of the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife and Bureau of Commercial Fisheries.
1957 - Development of a Trout Rearing Station along the Pequest River begins.
1958: Amendments to the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act require coordination between Federal and State agencies and consideration of fish and wildlife impacts, thereby laying the groundwork for the creation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and portions of the Clean Water Act.
1958 - The title of Fish and Game Warden was changed to Conservation Officer.
1961 - The first Green Acres Bill is passed.
1962 - The Research in Trout Management project is initiated and the application of its findings is begun.
1963 - The Pequest Trout Rearing Station along the Pequest River begins production.
1964: Congress passes the Land and Water Conservation Fund and provides a dedicated funding stream for land acquisition.
1964: Wilderness Act creates National Wilderness Preservation System which includes national wildlife refuges.
1964 - The Nacote Creek Marine Research Station opens.
1967: Bald eagles declared an endangered species
1968 - Round Valley Reservoir opens.
1969: The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) passed by Congress and becomes the principle tool for assessing the impacts of major federal development projects on fish and wildlife.
1970: First Earth Day celebrated on April 22.
1970: Bureau of Commercial Fisheries is moved out of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and transferred to Department of Commerce, renamed National Marine Fisheries Service as part of new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
1970: The peregrine falcon is listed as endangered, a victim of the pesticide DDT, which caused eggshell thinning and prevented breeding success
New Jersey's first black bear hunting season since 1970 is open to firearm hunters.
1971: The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), an outgrowth of the Alaska Statehood Act, authorized the addition of immense acreages of highly productive, internationally significant wildlife lands to the Refuge System.
1971 - Rocky mountain bighorn sheep reintroduced in eastern Oregon.
1972: The Environmental Protection Agency bans the use of DDT in the United States because of its potential danger to both people and to wildlife, including the bald eagle, peregrine falcon, and brown pelican.
1972: United States and Japan signed the Convention for the Protection of Migratory Birds and Birds in Danger of Extinction, and Their Environment.
1972: The Marine Mammal Protection Act was enacted, prohibiting the take (i.e., hunting, killing, capture, and /or harassment) of marine mammals, and enacting a moratorium on the import, export, and sale of marine mammal parts and products.
1972 - Hunter safety education becomes mandatory for all initial hunting license purchases.
1973: Congress passes the Endangered Species Act and puts Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service in charge of enforcing it.
1973 - State waters are classified as "Trout Production," "Trout Maintenance" and "Non-Trout" waters.
1975 - Merger of Fish and Wildlife (formerly Game) Commissions effective July 1.
1975: The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is ratified, regulating the importation, exportation, and re-exportation of species.
1975 - New Jersey receives three captive-bred peregrine falcons which are the first to fledge in the state in 20 years.
1976 - First Winter Bow Deer Season is held in January.
1976: Convention Between the United States and the USSR Concerning the Conservation of Migratory Birds and Their Environment, signed in Moscow on November 19, 1976.
1977: The first plant species are listed as endangered—the San Clemente Island Indian paintbrush, San Clemente Island larkspur, San Clemente Island broom, and San Clemente Island bush-mallow.
1977 - A five-year fishery management plan for the Columbia River was signed, following months of negotiations between the State of Oregon, Washington, and the four treaty Indian nations.
1977 - Reintroduction of wild turkeys is begun with the release of 22 birds.
1978 - Bobcat restoration project initiated.
1978-79 - Due to consecutive bitter cold winters resulting in widespread mortality, the Atlantic brant population on the New Jersey coast crashes.
1979 - A new fish hatchery on the Clackamas-River brought the number of state operated hatcheries to 32.
1980: Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act enacted protecting non-game species.
1980 - Limited entry began for Oregon's commercial offshore fisheries.
1980 - Construction of the Pequest Trout Hatchery and Natural Resource Education Center begins.
1981 - The voluntary "tax check-off" method of donating funds to the Endangered and Nongame Species Program is approved for the coming year.
1982 - El Nino and other climate changes created severe conflicts with salmon and other ocean fish populations.
1963 - The Pequest Trout Rearing Station along the Pequest River begins production. It remains active until the opening of the Pequest Trout Hatchery in 1982.
The legislature placed authority for managing fish and wildlife resources in all Texas counties with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department when it passed the Wildlife Conservation Act in 1983.
1983 -The first annual Oregon "Plague of Plastics" beach cleanup was sponsored by Oregon Fish and Wildlife.
1984: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act creates the Foundation as a federally chartered charitable, non-profit corporation to aid Service conservation efforts.
1984 - The first state waterfowl stamp is issued with proceeds going towards acquisition and preservation of the state’s wetlands.
1985: Animal Damage Control moved from Fish and Wildlife Service to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in United States Department of Agriculture.
Biologists found five wild nest sites (compared to just one in 1985), bringing the statewide nest total to 16.
1985 - The Pequest Natural Resource Education Center opens to the public.
The strategy was documented in the North American Waterfowl Management Plan signed in 1986 by the Canadian Minister of the Environment and the United States Secretary of the Interior, the foundation partnership upon which hundreds of others would be built.
1986 - The first "Governor's sheep tag" was sold at auction during the annual convention of the Oregon Hunters Association.
1987 - Extreme forest fire danger in western Oregon caused the state forester to close ten million acres of public and private lands to recreational access for two weeks in October.
1987 - Legislature changes Department of Game, with a commission-appointed director, to Department of Wildlife, with a director appointed by the governor.
1987 - An intensive, multi-use fish rearing system is designed and constructed at the Charles O. Hayford Hatchery for raising warm- and coolwater species.
1988: The African Elephant Conservation Act became law, providing additional protection for the species, whose numbers had declined by 50 percent in the last decade.
1988 - The Legislature passed the Fish Restoration and Enhancement Act, which placed a $2 surcharge on sport fishing licenses and increased the commercial salmon permit and poundage fees to fund the program.
1989 - The department sponsored its first statewide Free Fishing day on June 9 as part of National Fishing Week.
1989: The National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory was dedicated in Ashland, Oregon, providing expertise to assist in investigations, ranging from species identification to technical assistance such as surveillance and photography.
1989 - For the first time in decades there is more than one active bald eagle nest in New Jersey, thanks to the efforts of the Endangered and Nongame Species Program.
1990 - November 1990 voter approval of a tax limitation measure forced heavy general fund budget cuts.
1990 -New Jersey begins participation with 10 other states in the Atlantic Flyway Breeding Waterfowl Survey.
1991 - The "Hunt SMART" campaign, encouraging sportsmen's responsibility, is launched.
1993: Mollie Beattie becomes first female FWS Director.
1993 – Oregon State Legislature approves the Access and Habitat program, which uses a hunting license surcharge to open private lands to public hunters or improve wildlife habitat on private lands.
1994 - Legislature merges Department of Wildlife and Department of Fisheries, creating the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, with a nine-member commission and a director appointed by the Commission.
1994 – First statewide cougar and black bear management plans adopted.
1994 - The NJ Landscape Project, a pro-active approach to the long-term protection of rare species and their important habitats, is launched.
1995 - The first Take A Kid Hunting Youth Pheasant Hunt is held.
1996 – Wildlife Integrity rules to protect Oregon’s native species from non-native wildlife are adopted.
1997: National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act strengthens the mission of the Refuge System, clarifies priority public uses, and requires comprehensive conservation plans for every refuge.
1998: Reauthorization of the Rhinoceros-Tiger Conservation Act prohibited the import, export, or sale of any product, item or substance containing, or labeled as containing, any substance derived from tigers or rhinos.
1998 – Voters approve constitutional amendment to dedicate 15 percent of lottery funds to salmon restoration and park projects.
1998 - The Hook a Winner program adds a new aspect to the thrill of landing a trout.
1999: The peregrine falcon delisted following recovery.
1999 - The first Youth Turkey Hunting Day is held.
2000: Congress passes the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act to protect and conserve neotropical migrants both in the United States and in their winter homes in latin America and the Caribbean.
2001 - The first "Take A Kid Hunting" Youth Deer Hunt was held.
2002 - The Division traps 11 wild turkey hens in Sussex County and releases them in the Greenwood Forest WMA to help build wild turkey populations in the Pines.
2003 - A pilot-scale oyster revitalization project to enhance a seedbed in lower Delaware Bay is launched with the planting of nearly 30 million oysters.
2004: The California Condor reproduces in the wild for the first time in 17 years.
2004 - The Division launches a new E-Fishing Log Program allowing anglers a chance to provide their opinions on various freshwater fisheries programs online.
2005 –Oregon’s Wolf Conservation and Management Plan is adopted after an extensive public process.
2005 - The first Youth Deer Bow Hunting Day is held as part of the Take A Kid Hunting program.
2006: White nose syndrome first discovered in a single cave in New York.
2006 –Oregon Conservation Strategy, a plan to conserve species and their habitats before they become endangered and costly to recover, is adopted.
2007 - A new boat ramp at Spicer's Creek in Cape May places boaters within easy reach of the Atlantic Ocean, Delaware Bay, Intercoastal Waterway, and many tidal creeks and rivers found along both of New Jersey's coasts.
2007 - Peregrine falcons de-listed from state Endangered Species Act.
Study finds fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing enthusiasts spent $2.5 billion on these outdoor activities in 2008.
2008 - Biologists identify a heritage strain of brook trout in 11 streams within the Passaic-Hackensack and Raritan River drainages, descendants of fish first appearing in the state 10,000 years ago.
2009: Three additional marine national monuments were established in the Pacific.
2009: As a result of the banning of DDT and ESA protection, more than 650,000 brown pelicans could be found across Florida and the Gulf and Pacific Coasts.
2010: On April 20, the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded and sank in the Gulf of Mexico, triggering the largest oil spill in history.
2010 - The Division holds its first WILD Outdoor Expo offering an opportunity to learn about and experience a wide array of outdoor activities available within the state.
Finally, in 2012, the Governor approved a bill that changed the name of the Department of Fish and Game to the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Oregon’s first two marine reserves are established, with fishing prohibitions taking effect in 2012.
2012 - The Hackettstown State Fish Hatchery celebrates its 100th year of operation.
The Commission adopted a “Code of Conduct” Policy in March 2013 which states: It is the policy of the Fish and Game Commission that:
2013 - The Pequest Trout Hatchery celebrates its 30th anniversary, and the Division hosts its first Open House at the Rockport Game Farm to showcase the improvements made to the facility.
2014: On February 5, 2014, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service proposed delisting the Oregon chub from the Endangered Species Act.
2016 - In January, a trapper reports catching a fisher near the Pequest WMA in Warren County - the first time a live fisher is handled by staff.
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