On Wednesday, October 27, 2021, the National Fish Habitat Board approved the following conservation priorities for fiscal year (FY) 2023, during the October meeting of the Board.

Conservation Priorities for the National Fish Habitat Partnership for FY 2023 are as follows;

1) Protect intact healthy waters
2) Restore hydrologic conditions for fish
3) Reconnect fragmented fish habitats
4) Restore water quality
5) Coordination and operational support for FHPs to make on-the-ground progress within program appropriations

These conservation priorities are identical to those approved for FY 2022. With the passage of the America’s Conservation Enhancement Act (ACE Act) on October 30, 2020, Title II Section 201 (2) section of the act requires the National Fish Habitat Partnership Board (Board) to establish consensus on a set of National Conservation Priorities to guide the actions and investment of Fish Habitat Partnerships (FHPs) on an annual basis. The FHPs are the primary work units of the National Fish Habitat Partnership (NFHP) and are formed around key aquatic habitat types or habitat processes, focal keystone species, or distinct geographic areas. With this diverse set of FHPs a set of national conservation priorities are needed from the Board to guide FHPs to effectively address fish habitat conservation needs at the appropriate scale, mobilize partners and the public, and leverage resources to conserve, restore and improve habitat. The Board will use the above-mentioned priorities to assist in NFHP project selections for FY 2023.

The Board will review future options for the Board’s National Fish Habitat Conservation Priorities for FY 2024 at a future meeting in early 2022.