Endangered Species Act Full Text

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973 was created to protect fish and wildlife from extinction as well as the ecosystems in which they live. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service(FWS) oversees freshwater fish and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) oversees all other marine animals. Federal Agencies must report to these agencies before undertaking any action to ensure they will not harm "endangered" or "threatened" species.

The Act is a great piece of legislation that organizations can use to fight for conservation of rivers and streams across the nation, since anyone can petition to have a species added to the Endangered Species List. Once a species is on the list, there are various protective measures in the ESA to restore their population.

As of 2008, there were 1574 endangered species (599 plants) and 351 threatened species (148 plants).