Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Washington
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

The Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit is one of 40 units in the Cooperative Research Units (CRU) Program. The Washington Unit was formed as a fisheries research unit in 1967 and became a combined fish and wildlife research unit in 1989. We celebrated our 50th anniversary in 2017.

The CRU Program was established in 1934, as part of the Bureau of Biological Survey, U.S. Department of Agriculture, to meet the growing needs for trained personnel to conduct and provide education in the field of fish and wildlife resource management. Cooperative agreements with universities, state fish and wildlife agencies, and the Wildlife Management Institute enable the Units to coordinate fish and wildlife research and training programs. All Cooperative Research Units are located on University campuses, and all permanent Unit staff serve both as University faculty and as federal employees in the management of Unit missions. The CRU Program was transferred to the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1939, and in 1940 became part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In 1960, Congress passed the Cooperative Units Act (Public Law 86-686), authorizing the Program as a separate line item in the Department of Interior budget. This Act increased the visibility, status, and stability of the CRU Program, and also authorized the inclusion of fisheries research. In 1996, the CRU Program was transferred to the U.S. Geological Survey. Today, 40 Cooperative Units in 38 states are coordinated and supervised by the CRU Program in Reston, Virginia.