38 DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME 



years, however, we have realized that there are no more streams that are 

 not already being extensively used by anglers. 



Even under natural conditions in California, the critical period for 

 fish and game occurs during the long season of no rainfall, when stream 

 flows are at a minimum. This dry season is also critical to our present 

 economy and it is necessary to build dams to store winter runoff in order 

 to have water for irrigation and power during summer and fall. 



The demands for water will become increasingly acute as our popula- 

 tion continues to increase. It is now 7 estimated that California's popula- 

 tion will double in the next 20 years. The rate of water project construc- 

 tion will have to keep pace with the population increase. At the present 

 time 30 major w r ater projects are under active study by the Department 

 of Fish and Game and new dams are constantly being proposed. 



In addition to planning for these major projects, the Department of 

 Fish and Game has been called upon to review a great number of the 

 other proposed land and water use programs that will affect our fish 

 and w T ildlif e resources. The U. S. Department of Agriculture, for example, 

 has been studying various watersheds in California with a view towards 

 broad soil and water conservation programs. On the Santa Ana and 

 San Gabriel watersheds in Southern California, for example, an exten- 

 sive cover improvement, fire prevention, and stock watering program 

 has been proposed. 



The Department of Fish and Game is also entering more and more 

 into the preconstruction planning of water projects and has embarked 

 upon an aggressive program to have the protection and wherever possible 

 the development of fish and wildlife included as an integral part of 

 planning. 



During the last two years considerable time was spent in preparing 

 recommendations to be submitted to the State Division of Water Ke- 

 sources for inclusion in the forthcoming California Water Plan, which 

 will be the ultimate water use plan for the State. If the water needs of 

 fish and wildlife are not recognized in this plan it will probably not be 

 possible to secure additional water in the future. The Department of 

 Fish and Game has made recommendations for the minimum flows to 

 be maintained on every major stream in California for the preservation 

 of our fisheries resources. 



The following are some of the major developments which are under 

 active study by the department. Many of these streams contain salmon 

 and steelhead that will be cut off from spawning areas by dam construc- 

 tion. The biggest problem in all cases is to keep some water flowing in 

 the stream, rather than in irrigation or power conduits. 



Klamath River, Siskiyou County. The Department of Fish and Game initiated 

 legal action against the California-Oregon Power Company to reduce the fluctua- 

 tion of the river level and the resulting stranding of salmon and steelhead and 

 hazards to fishermen along the river. This action is based on a study that has 

 been made by Bureau of Fish Conservation biologists over the past four years. 



Trinity River, Trinity County. The U. S. Bureau of Reclamation proposes two 

 large dams to divert flows of the Trinity River into the Sacramento River in 

 Shasta County. The Department of Fish and Game is concerned with ways of 

 preserving the present salmon and steelhead runs of the Trinity River, since 

 a large portion of the spawning area of the Trinity River will be cut off by con- 

 struction of the dams. 



