MAKING THE CONNECTION
Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the National Fish Habitat Partnership​
2026 marks the 20th anniversary of the National Fish Habitat Partnership (NFHP) – two decades of restoring rivers, lakes, and coastal waters across America. Through a shared commitment to conservation, NFHP has brought together hundreds of partner organizations to leverage each other’s resources to more effectively and efficiently conserve fish habitat, benefiting thousands of aquatic species, improving fishing experiences, and supporting vibrant communities.
The Fund for the National Fish Habitat Partnership​
Established in 2015, the National Fish Habitat Fund is the 501c3 nonprofit organization that supports the National Fish Habitat Partnership and its 20 Congressionally recognized Fish Habitat Partnerships (FHPs).
Connecting People and Partners ​
Power of Partnerships
Over the last 5 years, NFHP’s network has included more than 720 partner organizations, demonstrating the power of partnerships in advancing shared conservation goals.
“It is the people that are part of the watershed that bring the answers to the table.”
Investing in Fish Habitat
Investing in fish habitat restoration and conservation can mean different things depending on the type of natural resources where you live. Common investments include replacing an undersized culvert with a bridge to provide fish passage and flood mitigation, removing an inefficient low head dam in the East or irrigation infrastructure in the West, installing habitat structures in reservoirs to improve fishing, restoring wetlands or coastal estuaries, or providing habitat for baby salmon or native fish. Our partnerships are experts in all of these activities and more!
Photo courtesy of the Pacific Marine & Estuarine Fish Habitat Partnership and Trout Unlimited. A $75,000 investment by the Pacific Marine & Estuarine Fish Habitat Partnership supports the replacement of an undersized culvert with a bridge on Flower Pot Creek on Tillamook Bay, Oregon. This effort leveraged nearly $240,000 in non-federal contributions and an additional $880,000 in federal funding, yielding a 15:1 return on investment. Ecologically, the project reconnects 1.4 stream miles and 14.6 acres of tidally influenced wetland—critical habitat for salmon. The new bridge will also prevent flooding – enhancing long-term resilience for a key emergency access route.
Where the Money goes
Sign up for our newsletter
Join Us
Thanks to the dedicated partnerships built over the past 20 years, over 1,700 conservation projects spanning all 50 states have helped protect fish, wildlife, and our way of life. As the nonprofit partner to the National Fish Habitat Partnership, the National Fish Habitat Fund leverages funding from the private and nonprofit sectors to support high priority habitat conservation efforts. We welcome corporations, small businesses, nonprofit foundations and individuals to partner with us. As we look toward the next 20 years, engaging additional partner organizations to work collaboratively will be critical to: conserving fish habitats; increasing the number of sustainable fish populations; improving recreational fishing; increasing public access to higher quality experiences; and ultimately improving the quality-of-life for the American people.
Your donation is tax-deductible.