Water Management Effects on Fishing

This book examines how water management practices can influence commercial fishing activities and their economic benefits. Government water management agencies, at both the Federal and state level, can influence fisheries habitat and populations. Most of the discussion in this book is universally applicable, but emphasis is placed on water management activities by the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) in the western United States, including Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and California. With the possible exception of tribal commercial harvest, which often takes place on the rivers themselves, commercial fishing activities within the United States are typically pursued within the nation’s estuaries, bays, and oceans. While actions by Reclamation and other similar agencies are typically limited to inland locations such as reservoirs and rivers, they can often play a significant role in providing necessary habitat for certain commercially attractive fish species.