Protection of fish habitat and aquatic resources
is a primary role of the island fish staff. The Forest Service
is a multiple-use land management agency.
Land management activities on Prince of Wales Island, including
timber harvest, road building and unmanaged
recreation use, can affect fish habitat and aquatic resources.
However, any activity located near water is reviewed for its potential
effects to fish.
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North Fork Thorne River
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Electroshocking stream to determine fish presence or absence.
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When an area is proposed for timber harvest, fisheries personnel inventory the streams and lakes within and adjacent to planned timber harvest units for fish presence. Habitat is evaluated and sampled by electroshocking and minnow trapping.
We survey streams to establish stream class, channel type, gradient, incision, bedwidth, substrate, and use GPS to determine location. We prescribe stream protection measures per Tongass Forest Plan fish and riparian standards and guidelines, and Alaska Region Best Management Practices. We flag and tag the streams so that ground layout crews incorporate our protection measures into final harvest unit design. |
We also review stream crossing sites along proposed new roads and road reconstruction routes. Again, we determine fish presence or absence and stream characteristics.
We prescribe fish timing windows for instream construction and stream protection measures. We make recommendations for using bridges or culverts as stream crossing structures, and suggest the size of culverts and whether problem culverts should be larger or replaced.
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Fish Timing Window chart shows when work can typically be done in the streams. Windows can vary with fish run timing.
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Blue/White stripped flagging and blue tags
used to identify fish streams in a proposed timber harvest unit.
Yellow tag used to identify fish streams at road crossings.
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We participate in interdisciplinary teams with other resource specialists to document existing fish resource conditions in a project area, and describe the potential environmental consequences of the project.
We help develop road access management plans. We propose removing stream crossing structures and storing roads that negatively affect fish resources.
Our goal is to minimize or totally eliminate effects to fish habitat and aquatic resources. We provide these facts to the Decision Maker, typically the District Ranger so that an informed decision can be made on the environmental consequences of land management actions. |
