Eastern States Fisheries and Aquatics

Many of the land areas managed by BLM Eastern States are connected to water. This includes beaches on the Gulf Coast in Alabama, the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area in Florida, the shoreline of the historic Lower Potomac River, and hundreds of islands in the rivers and lakes of Wisconsin and Minnesota. Because these areas are linked to aquatic and marine environments, the Fisheries Program is an important part of managing our biological resources.

The habitats managed by BLM Eastern States are very diverse, ranging from cold northern rivers to warm, semi-tropical shores of the Atlantic Ocean. Because of this, the types of fisheries they manage are also very varied. The work involved in the Fisheries Program is equally broad, including activities like educating the public and improving shoreline and underwater habitats—such as building a mangrove lagoon at the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area.

The Northeastern States District helps Wisconsin state and local agencies keep track of fish in the Milwaukee and Sheboygan Rivers. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) works with Ozaukee County and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to get accurate information and share it efficiently. BLM also helped pay for a fish monitoring system on the Menominee River, which is used to track how sturgeon use a fish passage system.

Public islands managed by BLM on Lake Vermilion in northern Minnesota offer a beautiful setting for a top-quality fishing area. Islands on the Menominee and Sheboygan Rivers have been important for wildlife habitat restoration projects. These projects aim to remove the rivers from the list of Areas of Concern, which are regions that need environmental improvement.