V-89 



In Alaska's State government, three principal departments are responsible 

 for management of the estuarine or coastal zones. These are the 

 Departments of Natural Resources, Health and Welfare, and Fish and 

 Game; ancillary groups are the Department of Public Works and Water 

 Resources Board. 



The Department of Natural Resources manages the use of the State's natural 

 resources (water, land, and minerals). Specifically the Department's 

 activities include the management, disposal, and protection of State 

 lands (tidal and submerged within the 3-mile limit); water resources; 

 forestry and mineral resources; issuance of leases and permits on 

 tidal and submerged lands for development such as for log storage 

 and rafting; construction of dock facilities; sale, leasing, and issuance 

 of permits for use of adjacent State-owned uplands and wetlands; and 

 last but not least, the classification of lands as to their highest 

 and most beneficial use. The State has initiated this classification - 

 zoning plan for its tidal and submerged lands as a part of its estuarine 

 management system. At present, about 50 percent of the lands are 

 classified for recreational purposes. In any consideration for leasing 

 and issuance of permits, one of the prime factors is the potential 

 effects of the proposed use on the ecosystem or fish and game in adjacent 

 lands. If land is unclassified, then it must be classed for the highest 

 and most beneficial use before leasing. 



The Department of Fish and Game is responsible for managing, protecting, 

 maintaining, improving, and extending the fish and game resources 



