Programmatic Evaluation ACTIVITIES OF THE U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE FISHERIES PROGRAM Sport Fishing FY 2005–2009 and Boating Partnership Council SPORT FISHING AND BOATING PARTNERSHIP COUNCIL Sport Fishing & Boating Partnership Council Programmatic Evaluation Activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fisheries Program FY 2005–2009 Report of the 2009 Ad Hoc Evaluation Team to the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council June 21, 2010 PROGRAMMATIC ASSESSMENT OF THE FISHERIES PROGRAM SPORT FISHING AND BOATING PARTNERSHIP COUNCIL Table of Contents Report Summary and Findings i Introduction 1 Conduct of the Evaluation 2 PROGRAMMATIC EVALUATION 1. Accountability 9 Context 9 Basis for Evaluation 10 Results 11 Accountability to Authorities 11 Accountability to Stakeholders and Partners 13 Accountability to Open, Interactive Communication 15 Accountability through Performance Reporting Systems 15 Findings and Observations 18 Recommendations to Increase Effectiveness 20 2. Habitat Conservation and Management 21 Context 21 Basis for Evaluation 22 Results 23 National Fish Habitat Action Plan 23 National Fish Passage Program 28 Fish and Wildlife Conservation Offices 30 Findings and Observations 33 Recommendations to Increase Effectiveness 34 3. Species Conservation and Management 35 Context 35 Basis for Evaluation 35 Results 36 Native Species 36 Robust Redhorse Conservation Efforts (Box) 39 Interjurisdictional Species 39 Aquatic Invasive Species 40 Findings and Observations 43 Recommendations to Increase Effectiveness 45 4. Cooperation with Native American Tribes 46 Context 46 Basis for Evaluation 48 Results 50 Understanding Tribal Expectations 51 Delivery of Trust Services 52 Building Tribal Capacity 54 Cultural Acuity 57 Findings and Observations 58 Recommendations to Increase Effectiveness 60 5. Recreational Fishing and other Public Uses 61 Context 61 Basis for Evaluation 62 PROGRAMMATIC ASSESSMENT OF THE FISHERIES PROGRAM Results 64 Recreational Fishing 64 Fisheries Mitigation Services 65 Outreach and Education 70 Findings and Observations 73 Recommendation to Increase Effectiveness 74 6. Science and Technology 75 Context 75 Aquatic Animal Drug Approval Partnership (Box) 77 Basis for Evaluation 78 Results 79 Science Capacity 79 USGS Science Support 81 Quality of Science 83 Cooperative Research Units 85 Findings and Observations 86 Recommendation to Increase Effectiveness 88 Alaska’s Conservation Genetics Laboratory (Box) 89 7. Asset Maintenance 90 Context 90 Basis for Evaluation 91 Results 92 Condition of Facilities 93 Equipment 94 Energy Costs 95 Lost Opportunities 95 Lessons from the National Wildlife Refuge System 96 Findings and Observations 96 Recommendations to Increase Effectiveness 97 8. Workforce Management 98 Context 98 Basis for Evaluation 99 Results 100 Budget Trends 100 Staffing Levels 103 Training and Advancement 106 Findings and Observations 107 Recommendation to Increase Effectiveness 108 Conclusion and Acknowledgements 109 FIGURES 1. Organizational Chart of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 9 2. Fish Habitat Partnerships, March 2010 25 3. Available FTEs for FWCO, AIS & Marine Mammals, FY 2004–2008 103 SPORT FISHING AND BOATING PARTNERSHIP COUNCIL TABLES 1. SFBPC 2009 Fisheries Program Evaluation Team 3 2. Accountability: Indicators, Baselines and Benchmarks 10 3. Principle Legislation and Other Authorities 12 4. Regionally Specific Authorities 13 5. Benefits of Healthy Aquatic Ecosystems 21 6. Habitat: Indicators, Baselines and Benchmarks 22 7. National Fish Habitat Action Plan Objectives and Status 23 8. National Fish Habitat Action Plan Fish Habitat Partnerships 26 9. National Fish Habitat Action Plan Funding Per Fish Habitat Partnership 28 10. Selected Fish Passage Metrics 30 11. Funding Levels for Selected Habitat Programs 33 12. Species: Indicators, Baselines and Benchmarks 36 13. Selected Native Species Metrics 38 14. Summary of Aquatic Species of Interest to Fisheries Program 39 15. Selected Aquatic Invasive Species Metrics 42 16. Tribal Cooperation: Indicators, Baselines, and Benchmarks 49 17. Selected Cooperation with Tribes Metrics 53 18. Recreational Fishing and Public Use: Indicators, Baselines and Benchmarks 63 19. Selected Recreational Fishing & NFHS Metrics 65 20. Selected Fisheries Mitigation Services Metrics 66 21. Summary of Mitigation Activities 66 22. National Fish Hatcheries with Mitigation Responsibilities 67 23. Reimbursed and Non-Reimbursed Mitigation Costs 67 24. Examples of Outreach Activities on NFHs 71 25. Selected Education and Outreach Metrics 72 26. Science and Technology: Indicators, Baselines, and Benchmarks 78 27. Selected Science & Technology Metrics 81 28. Field Evaluations of Fisheries Program Science Centers 84 29. Cooperative Research Units Annual Performance Summary 86 30. The Science Gap 87 31. Asset Maintenance: Indicators, Baselines and Benchmarks 92 32. Selected Asset Maintenance Metrics 92 33. Workforce Management: Indicators, Baselines and Benchmarks 99 34. Fisheries Program Budget 101 35. Selected Program Salary and Operations Budgets 103 36. Fisheries Program Staffing and Budgets by Field Station 105 EXHIBITS 1. FWS letter to SFBPC re: Evaluation, March 9, 2009 112 2. SFBPC letter to FWS re: Evaluation, July 10, 2009 114 3. FWS Fisheries Evaluation 2009 Assessment Inventory of Resources 116 4. Authorities, Policies & Directives 146 5. Fisheries Program Aquatic “Trust” Species 164 6. National Fish Hatchery System Summary Data 185 7. Species Benefitting from FY 2009 Fisheries Projects 189 8. List of Tribes with Fisheries-Related Trust Responsibilities by FWS Region 191 9. Summary of FWS Fisheries Mitigation Programs 195 10. Fisheries Program Field Station Staffing and Budgets 202 PROGRAMMATIC ASSESSMENT OF THE FISHERIES PROGRAM SPORT FISHING AND BOATING PARTNERSHIP COUNCIL REPORT SUMMARY AND FINDINGS In March 2009, the Director of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) requested the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council (SFBPC or Council) undertake a “follow- up evaluation” to assess the Fisheries Program’s progress in meeting its core aquatic resource conservation obligations. The FWS asked the SFBPC for assistance because of the Council’s long involvement with the FWS’s Fisheries Program as an advisory committee chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act. To conduct this evaluation, the SFBPC empanelled an eight-person Evaluation Team, chaired by Ken Haddad, representing a cross section of those organizations interested and experienced in aquatic resource conservation and in the conduct and impact of the Fisheries Program. To staff the Evaluation Team, SFBPC contracted with D.J. Case and Associates as project consultants and Whitney Tilt, Conservation BenchMarks, as the principal investigator. Evaluation design and data collection was initiated in July 2009 with a report delivered to the SFBPC in May 2010. The 2009 Evaluation examined the Fisheries Program’s performance for the period October 1, 2004, through September 30, 2009. The Team organized its examination according to eight areas of strategic emphasis common to both the FWS FY 2004 – 2008 Strategic Plan and the SFBPC Partnership Agenda report: 1. Accountability 2. Habitat Conservation and Management 3. Species Conservation and Management a. Native Species b. Interjurisdictional Fisheries c. Aquatic Invasive Species 4. Cooperation with Native American Tribes 5. Recreational Fishing and Other Public Uses • Recreational Fishing • Mitigation Fisheries • Outreach and Education 6. Aquatic Science and Technology 7. Asset Maintenance 8. Workforce Management One chapter of this report is devoted to each of the eight areas of emphasis. Each of the eight chapters is organized by: context, basis for evaluation, results, findings and observations, and recommendations to increase effectiveness. The following summary of results and findings is organized by areas of strategic emphasis. PROGRAMMATIC ASSESSMENT OF THE FISHERIES PROGRAM i This report also presents a set of findings and recommendations that the SFBPC believes warrants the full attention of the Fisheries Program and the FWS. The following seven themes encapsulate these findings, and are deserving of the Program’s continued vigilance. The Fisheries Program should: 1. Undertake a consistent approach to stakeholder/partner involvement and communications. 2. Develop consistent data and definitions (e.g., nomenclature and species list, “denominator,” mitigation expenses). 3. Develop a single set of performance measures (combining PART, GPRA, Strategic Plan, etc.) and be accountable to them. 4. Undergo meaningful workforce management to right-size the Fisheries Program to current and future budget realities. 5. Undertake a comprehensive evaluation and review of the existing science support model in cooperation with USGS, stakeholders and partners. 6. Synchronize strategic planning effort to budget formation and include budget estimates as part of program planning. 7. Monitor and evaluate program activities on an ongoing basis in cooperation with stakeholders and partners. 1. Accountability (pages 9–20) The Evaluation Team assessed the Fisheries Program’s accountability in four distinct pieces: 1) Accountability to Authority, 2) Accountability to Stakeholders and Partners, 3) Accountability through Open, Interactive Communications, and 4) Accountability through Performance Reporting Systems. The Fisheries Program works on an ongoing basis with the Administration, Congress, stakeholders, and partners to ensure its activities best meet