§ 8201. Purpose

The purpose of this chapter is to encourage partnerships among public agencies and other interested persons to promote fish conservation—

• (1) to achieve measurable habitat conservation results through strategic actions of Fish Habitat Partnerships that lead to better fish habitat conditions and increased fishing opportunities by—
  • (A) improving ecological conditions;
  • (B) restoring natural processes; or
  • (C) preventing the decline of intact and healthy systems;
• (2) to establish a consensus set of national conservation strategies as a framework to guide future actions and investment by Fish Habitat Partnerships;
• (3) to broaden the community of support for fish habitat conservation by—
  • (A) increasing fishing opportunities;
  • (B) fostering the participation of local communities, especially young people in local communities, in conservation activities; and
  • (C) raising public awareness of the role healthy fish habitat play in the quality of life and economic well-being of local communities;
• (4) to fill gaps in the National Fish Habitat Assessment and the associated database of the National Fish Habitat Assessment—
  • (A) to empower strategic conservation actions supported by broadly available scientific information; and
  • (B) to integrate socioeconomic data in the analysis to improve the lives of humans in a manner consistent with fish habitat conservation goals; and
• (5) to communicate to the public and conservation partners—
  • (A) the conservation outcomes produced collectively by Fish Habitat Partnerships; and
  • (B) new opportunities and voluntary approaches for conserving fish habitat.