Ohio River Basin

The Ohio River and its basin are of national significance in both geographic scope and the fish and mussel resources contained within them. The Ohio River is the second largest river in the United States as measured by its annual discharge. The basin also contains at least 350 species of fish and more than 120 mussel species, including a number that are federally listed. Sportfishing is a major recreational activity with over 2.5 million angling hours recorded and 2.8 million fish caught within just the main-stem Ohio River during past surveys.

ORBFH Partnership

It was with the above resources in mind, that the Ohio River Basin Fish Habitat Partnership (ORBFHP) coalesced from a meeting of approximately 50 federal and state agencies, NGOs, and academic representatives interested in the aquatic habitat of the Ohio River Basin.

The ORBFHP’s focus is embodied in its mission statement: The Ohio River Basin Fish Habitat Partnership focuses protection, restoration, and enhancement efforts on priority habitat for fish and mussels in the watersheds of the Ohio River Basin for the benefit of the public.

Steering Committee

The Ohio River Basin Fish Habitat Partnership (Partnership) is a self-directed group of individuals representing organizations and agencies working to achieve the Partnership’s mission. The Steering Committee is the decision-making body for the Partnership and has oversight responsibility for all activities. The primary function of the Steering Committee is to move the overall Partnership in the direction that is most beneficial to meeting our mission and the objectives set forth in our Strategic Plan. The Partnership has no authority beyond those of its individual members’ organizations. Participation on the Partnership’s Steering Committee is voluntary.