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FWC Home : Wildlife & Habitats : Eagle : General Info : Background

Eagles: Background

Following severe decreases in population size, several federal and state regulations were put in place to protect the bald eagle.  These regulations include the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.  In 1972, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency banned all domestic use of the pesticide Dichloro-Diphenyl-Trichloroethane (DDT).  The following year, the Endangered Species Act of 1973 was passed, and the bald eagle was added to the list of federally endangered and threatened species in 1978.

The elimination of DDT and the increased protection for the eagle led to the species recovery in Florida. In 2007 and in 2008, the bald eagle was removed from the USFWS endangered species list and the FWC imperiled species list.  The bald eagle continues to be protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and FWC's bald eagle rule (F.A.C. 68A-16.002).  The FWC has developed and implemented a Bald Eagle Management Plan which outlines strategies to maintain the Florida population of bald eagles at or above levels specified in the conservation goals and objectives of the plan.


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