18 



DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAAffi 



for California's tisli and wildlife and it is essential that 

 the protection of these resources be included in any 

 plan of development. 



Encouraging Development 



One encouraging development of the past two years 

 has been the recognition of the importance of fish and 

 wild life b\- the Legislature and other state agencies. 

 In 195.^, for example, the Legislature added Sections 

 526.> and 526.6 to the Fish and Game Code. These 

 measures insure that future water developments in 

 Mono and In\o Counties will not jeopardize the fish- 

 erics resources either by drying up the stream or by 

 operating power generation facilities in such a manner 

 as to fluctuate stream flows below the dams. 



The department has been actively participating in 

 the State's study of the feasibility of a salt-water bar- 

 rier in the Delta. The proposal to build such a struc- 

 ture to prevent the intrusion of salt water and as a 

 water conservation measure may seriously jeopardize 

 the Central \'alle\- salmon, steelhead, and striped bass 

 fishery. 



It is possible that the barrier could eliminate these 

 fish entirely. \"alue of the fisheries must be included in 

 costs of the project before such a barrier is built. The 

 department has made economic evaluations of these 

 fisheries resources and has been actively designing fish 

 protective facilities in the event such a barrier is found 

 feasible. This is the first time that technical fisheries 

 personnel have been assigned to work with engineers 

 of the Division of Water Resources in such an investi- 

 gation. 



In addition, the department has reviewed all appli- 

 cations to appropriate water filed with the State Divi- 

 sion of ^^'atcr Resources. Cases in which there is a 

 definite threat to the welfare of fish, are protested by 

 Department of Fish and Game with a statement of 

 conditions under which the protest can be withdrawn. 







During the past biennium 1,055 applications have 

 been investigated by the department and 62 protests 

 were filed. Only one formal hearing was required and 

 in all but 12 cases, which are still pending, the depart- 

 ment's protest has been upheld and the permits for di- 

 version contain a clause specifying that certain mini- 

 mum flows will be bypassed below the point of diver- 

 sion at all times. 



Pollution Control 



Unprecedented growth of California has continued 

 and water pollution control agencies are faced with a 

 major problem of protecting the State's water from 

 pollution. The department, in cooperation with the 

 other pollution control agencies, has continued its pro- 

 gram of protecting fish and wildlife and has investi- 

 gated over 700 applications for waste discharge. Rec- 

 ommendations were submitted to the Pollution Control 

 Board in all necessary cases. 



Major interest in pollution control has centered on 

 the many new industries which are proposing to locate 

 in California. Most of these new plants present indus- 

 trial waste problems which are new to California, such 

 as the pulp and paper industry. Importance of waste 

 disposal has tended to be neglected in industrial loca- 

 tion studies in the past and the department is actively 

 undertaking a program to point out the importance of, 

 protecting fish and wildlife before the industrial plants 

 are constructed. 



Fortunately, no serious fish mortalities have oc- 

 curred during the past two years. There are still many 

 locations in the State where additional waste treatment 

 facilities are needed before adequate protection can be 

 given to our aquatic resources, particularly in those 

 areas where seasonal food processing wastes contribute 

 the major portion of the pollution load. 



The department also has intensified its program of 

 law enforcement and technical investigations of water 

 matters. For example, the San Francisco region has 

 assigned one of its wardens to full-time work on pollu- 

 tion problems. Technical investigations have included 

 long-range surveys to determine the effect of the in- 

 creasing industrial waste load in the Carquinez Straits 

 area and on the Central Valley salmon streams. 



The t-bntinuing pollution control program on the 

 upper Sacramento River has been intensified. Drainage 

 from abandoned copper mines and slag deposits poses 

 a serious threat to the fisheries resources of the Sacra- 

 mento River. An investigation of all possible sources 

 of pollution has been completed and it has been found 

 that these discharges do not pose a serious threat to the 

 Sacramento River with the present flows. However, it 

 is quite possible that serious fish mortalities could re- 

 sult if the flow was reduced at the time of high runoff 

 in the Spring Creek drainage, in Shasta County. 



. .i. ..'i. 



An example of what pollution can do to the State's fisheries when left 

 uncontrolled. 



