8020

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 8020
• Author: Horak, G. C.
• Title: Proceedings of the Symposium on Mitigating Developmental Impacts on Fish and Wildlife.
• USFW Year: 1979.
• USFW - Doc Type: March 1979.
• Copyright Material: NO

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Formulation of Recommendations
Under the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (FWCA) recommendations are
formulated by fish and game agencies on the basis of investigative methodol-
ogi~s. This task is complex and involves many decisions which clearly affect
the successful attainment of FWCA's intent. Generally reconunendations have
not been based upon site-specific quantative hydrological and biological in-
vestigations, but rather rely upon qualitative data.. For example, the
overall ranking of the three basic techniques of hydrological investigation
by frequency of use in formulating instream flow requests is field estimation
92%, gaging records 67%, and field measurement 35% whereas the ranking of
the three basic techniques of Biological investigation is field observation
92%, habitat survey 34%, and population survey 19% (6). This distribution
refl ects the descending frequency of use of the more.intensive, rl gorous and
costly investigative techniques.
The alternative biological objectives of the recommendations were en-
hancement, conservation, or assistance of the fish and wildlife. The first
two objectives are straightforward; enhancement implies quantitative increase
or qualitative improvement of habitats or populations, or both, and conservation
means full maintenance of the resource. The third objective -- assistance to
fish and wildlife -- applies to projects for which the requested measure is
neither expected nor intended to maintain existing habitats and populations
where some losses may be forseen and accepted. The biological objectives of
fish and wildlife recommendations have been to maintain rather than enhance
fish and wildlife.
Distinct biological targets of recommendations were grouped according
to stream fishery or wildlife habitats, population life cycles, and popula-
tion classes or species. Many recommendations reflect a composite of these
targets. For example, a recommendation may be directed at a particular life

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