Increasing supplies of water and building structures 

 and fences also is often beneficial. 



Upland game birds generally require a mixture of 

 cover and openings. Prescribed burning, moderate 

 grazing, logging, and planting food crops are benefi- 

 cial for bobwhite quail, ruffed grouse, and woodcock. 

 A major management problem at this time in eastern 

 hardwood and mixed hardwood and pine forests is 

 maintaining the forest openings that are gradually 

 closing as the forests age. Large-scale impoundments, 

 the conversion of bottom land forests to croplands 

 and improved pastures, and urban development pose 

 the major threats to these species. By contrast, popu- 

 lations of mourning doves prosper as certain agricul- 

 tural practices become more intensive. 



Recreational demands for these birds have been 

 much greater than could be supported by native wild 

 populations. Three of the most popular game species 

 have been introduced to this country: Ring-necked 

 pheasant, Hungarian partridge, and chukar par- 

 tridge. There are extensive programs by which these 

 and other birds are produced artificially and then 

 released or sold to private owners of hunting lands. 



Managing Fish Habitats and Populations 



The general means available to enhance fish popu- 

 lations are to increase the acreage of fishable waters, 

 to increase the productivity of existing waters, and to 

 supplement wild populations with hatchery-produced 

 fish. 



Increasing acreage of fishable waters. — In 1965, a 

 State-by-State inventory showed about 82 million 

 acres of fresh waters in the United States capable of 

 supporting fish. Aside from the Great Lakes, this 

 total included about 6 million acres of cold waters 

 and 24 million acres of warm waters in the contiguous 

 48 States. By the year 2000, it was expected that the 

 total acreages of these cold waters should be, 

 increased by about one-quarter and warm waters by 

 about one-third (table 4.19). Essentially all increases 

 would be in new impoundments, particularly of 

 public reservoirs and privately-owned farm ponds. 

 About 300,000 acres of streams would be lost through 

 inundation following reservoir construction.''^ 



Table 4.19 — Fishable freshwaters of tlie United 

 States in 1965 and projections to 2000 



(Million acres) 







Category of water 



Year 



Change 



1965 



2000 



Total fishing waters 



81.6 



91.7 



10.1 



Great Lakes 



38.7 



38.7 





Alasl<a 



12.4 



12.4 





Other 



30.6 



40.7 



10.1 



Total fishing waters 



81.6 



91.7 



10.1 



Warm waters' 



27.4 



36.1 



8.7 



Cold waters' 



54.2 



55.6 



1.4 



Public fishing waters 



78.7 



87.2 



8.5 



Streams and rivers 



9.5 



9.2 



-0.3 



Other 



69.2 



78.0 



8.8 



Private fishing waters 



2.9 



4.6 



1.7 



Farm ponds 



2.2 



3.7 



1.5 



Other 



0.7 



0.9 



0.2 



'Cold waters are generally defined as those that can support salmonids and 

 warm waters as those that cannot. About 7 million acres categorized as cold water 

 can, In fact, also support warmwater species and 0.3 million acres categorized as 

 warm water can also support coldwater species. 



Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. National 

 survey of needs for hatchery fish. Resource Pub. 63. 71 p. Washington, D.C. 1968. 



In 1960, about three-quarters of all impounded 

 water surface acreage in the contiguous States was in 

 reservoirs larger than 500 acres. From 1970 to 1976, 

 nearly 500 new reservoirs of this size-class were com- 

 pleted, increasing the total surface acreage by half, 

 from 6.5 to 9.8 million acres."" The 1976 distribution 

 of these reservoirs across the Nation was: 



Section 



Millions of acres 



Northeast 



0.5 



North Central 



0.8 



Southeast 



0.9 



South Central 



4.0 



Rocky Mountains- 



2.6 



Great Plains 





Pacific Coast 



0.9 



Total 



9.7 



■•^U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. 

 National survey of needs for hatchery fish. Resource Pub. 65. 

 Washington, D.C. 1968. The estimates for 1965 are 16 percent 

 higher for warm waters and 2 percent higher for cold waters than 

 those reported by the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review 

 Commission in 1962. That earlier report suggested that 10 million 

 more acres would be needed by 2000 if future anglers were to have 

 the opportunities available to anglers in 1960; the 1968 report 

 suggested that target would be met. 



"Jenkins, R. M., U.S. reservoir inventory. U.S. Department of 

 the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, National Reservoir 

 Research Program, (mimeo) Fayetteville, Ark. 1976. A reservoir is 

 here defined as an impoundment with a mean annual pool of 500 

 acres or more; natural lakes regulated by a dam are included if the 

 original volume of water has been at least doubled. 



145 



