--the F o re 8 1 Service, the Bureau of Land Manage- 

 ment, and the Army Corps of Engineers. The 

 Forest Service has jurisdiction over the National 

 Forests down to the mean high tide line. Below 

 the mean high tide line and on state-owned lands, 

 the State of Alaska has jurisdiction. The Army 

 Corps of Engineers is responsible for all navi- 

 gable waters and reviews any projects on these 

 waters that involve removal of gravels by means 

 of dredging. To assure that each proposed pro- 

 ject is carefully evaluated for its effect on the 

 fishery, close liaison is maintained between the 

 Bureau of Commercial Fisheries and the three 

 administering agencies. 



An effective working arrangement between 

 the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries and the Bu- 

 reau of Public Roads assures that all gravel re- 

 movals associated with the latter 's construction 

 projects are reviewed in advance of making an 

 application. This permits adequate considera- 

 tion of a project and allows time for working out 

 detailed recommendations for protection of the 

 fishery resources. 



Upon being notified of a proposal for gravel 

 removal, the Branch of River Basin Studies con- 

 ducts afield survey of the area involved, often in 

 the company of personnel from the administering 

 agency. The proposed excavation is located in 

 relation to the stream, and possibilities concern- 

 ing removal methods and effects are discussed. 

 In this way, both the construction interests and 

 the fishery values receive on-the-spot consider- 

 ation. Persons familiar with the project area 

 are interviewed. If the project involves anadro- 

 mous fish, several surveys of the area may be 

 made by River Basin personnel to determine the 

 number of fish that will be affected. 



Flow data concerning the streams may be 

 obtained from the U. S. Geological Survey. Pre- 

 vious fishery surveys of the Bureau of Commer- 

 cial Fisheries, the Alaska Department of Fish 

 and Game, and the Fisheries Research Institute, 

 University of Washington, are examined. Quanti- 

 tative information on fish populations of former 

 years is usually very limited or nonexistent, since 

 removal projects are often situated on streams 

 that have not been routinely surveyed in the past. 



When information concerning a stream and 

 its fishery resources has been examined, recom- 

 mendations are formulated on methods and time 

 of gravel removals. The Bureau of Commercial 

 Fisheries policy concerning the removal of gra- 

 vel from streams is based on the premise that. 



by sound management methods, Alaska's devel- 

 opment can proceed concurrently with perpetua- 

 tion of the fishery values. If the fisheries will 

 be adversely affected, and means cannot be found 

 to prevent these effects, the Bureau will recom- 

 mend that other sources of gravel be sought; how- 

 ever, itis usually possible toprescribe practices 

 and dates of operation that will minimize or elim- 

 inate injury to the fisheries. 



Recommendations on times for gravel re- 

 movals are based on periods when no eggs, fry, 

 or adults are present in the stream. In streams 

 in which the dominant species are chum and pink 

 salmon, this condition usually exists during June 

 and July. For streams that contain trout or the 

 other species of salmon, prescribing dates of op- 

 eration is a much more difficult task since fry 

 and fingerling are normally present throughout 

 the year. 



Generally it is recommended that gravels 

 be removed only from areas that are located away 

 from the existing stream channel. However, if it 

 is unavoidable to excavate adjacent to a stream 

 channel, it is recommended that a dike or levee 

 be built that will stop the stream from flowing 

 into the excavation. Heavy equipment is usually 

 prohibited from the stream bed. If washing or 

 screening of gravels is required, provision must 

 be made to prevent entry of silt-laden water into 

 the stream channel. In most instances, special 

 recommendations are made that apply to partic- 

 ular characteristics of the project involved. 



When recommendations have been formu- 

 lated, the Regional Director, Bureau of Commer- 

 cial Fisheries, submits them to the administering 

 agency. Since close liaison has been maintained 

 throughout the entire process, approval of these 

 recommendations is usually a routine matter and 

 they are incorporated into the gravel permit. 



Summary 



Removal of gravels from stream beds has 

 resulted in losses to Alaskan fishery resources 

 in past years. Removal operations will be inten- 

 sified as development of the State and its natural 

 resources progresses. The importance of the 

 fisheries warrants careful consideration of pro- 

 posed gravel removal projects. To insure the 

 protection of these resources, it is essential that 

 each proposal be reviewed individually. 



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