Piping Plover Charadrius melodus John James Audubon

The Endangered Species Act

Congress overwhelmingly passed the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1973 to "provide a means whereby the ecosystems upon which endangered and threatened species depend may be conserved, and to provide a program for the conservation of these species."

The Department of the Interior, acting through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), is responsible for protecting most threatened and endangered species. The Department of Commerce, through the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), is responsible for marine species, including marine mammals and anadromous fish such as salmon.

The ESA can be broken down into four parts:

1) Listing species and designating critical habitat

2) Recovery plans

3) Prohibitions

4) Exceptions to prohibitions