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Examples of Recent Accomplishments: Bureau fishery biologists made 368 visits to Federal areas and Indian reservations in 1968 for the purpose of providing assistance in fishery management. These areas have 622 thousand acres of lakes and impoundments and 11,968 miles of streams under management. They provided 6.7 million man-days of fishing during the season, a 15 percent increase over 1967. Managed waters were stocked with 16 million fish from national fish hatcheries.

Technical assistance was provided by the Bureau to 151 Department of Defense installations in 39 States during 1968. The 24,185 acres of lakes and ponds and the 135 miles of streams under management provided nearly 1.4 million man-days of sport fishing enjoyed by military and civilian anglers. This is an increase of nearly 13 percent over 1968. About 1.8 million fish were provided by national fish hatcheries for this program.

Technical assistance to fishery management programs was provided by the Bureau at 19 Veterans Administration hospitals in 1968. Fishing is a very popular form of recreation by patients as evidenced by the 39,700 man-days of fishing reported on 177 acres of ponds and lakes during 1968. On some waters in this program angling pressure exceeded 550 trips per acre.

During 1968, Bureau biologists assisted with fishery management on 13 National Forests and one National Grassland. These areas contain 21,000 acres of lakes, ponds, and reservoirs, and 5,900 miles of streams. National Forest waters included in the cooperative program provided about 1.9 million man-days of fishing in 1968 and were stocked with 1.8 million fish.

In 1968 the Bureau provided some assistance to 11 National Park Service areas. Nearly a million man-days of fishing occurred on these areas.

During 1968, technical assistance in fishery management was provided on 58 National Wildlife Refuges. These 58 refuges contain 262,000 acres of lakes and

ponds and 45 miles of stream, where 1.1 million man-days of fishing occurred in 1968.

The Bureau assisted 62 Indian reservations with their fish management activities in 1968. More than 1.3 million man-days of fishing occurred on 174,470 acres of ponds and lakes and 3,469 miles of streams. The fishing was sustained in part by stocking 7.2 million fish from national fish hatcheries.

During 1968 and 1969 there were 23 cooperative fishery units in operation. During the period January 1968 through June 1969, 77 formal courses were taught in which total enrollment was 968 students, and 33 courses of research and thesis involving 144 graduate students. Graduate degrees were awarded to 80 unit students. Unit personnel had 85 scientific papers published during an 18-month period. Additional papers were presented at scientific meetings. All graduates of the cooperative fishery unit program have found suitable employment or are continuing their formal education for higher degrees.

In the fish-pesticides field, Bureau biologists participated in an appraisal of an application of Bidrin to about 300 acres of range land for grasshopper control in Colorado, and in appraisal of an experimental application of Baytex for mosquito control in Ohio. Field studies of the effect of 2, 4-D applications for watermilfoil control in Currituck Sound, North Carolina, were continued in 1968. Sampling for arsenic residues was continued at sites which had been treated with Paris Green near Kennedy Space Flight Center.

Fish for both the spring and fall samples were collected by Bureau personnel for the National Pesticide Monitoring Program. The data were tabulated and prepared for publication in the December 1969 issue of the Pesticides Monitoring Journal. Manuscript releases made prior to publication have resulted in expressions of deep concern and interest by the State conservation agencies, some of whom have since initiated statewide programs of pesticide monitoring and control.

Bureau fishery biologists working on the Connecticut River Anadromous Fisheries Program prepared a report titled "Fish Passage Facilities Design Parameters for Connecticut River Dams." They also designed a procedure for measuring mortality rates on salmon smolts moving through hydroelectric plants. Turbine mortality studies subsequently were conducted at four stations on the Connecticut River. Results are contained in special reports.

Table 2.--Fishery Management Services Provided to Federal Areas
and Indian Reservations

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8. Wildlife Services: Fiscal year 1970, $3,742,000; fiscal year 1971, $3,742,000; no change.

Program of Work: As a service function, Wildlife Services is responsible for projecting the Bureau's wildlife technical assistance capabilities to other agencies, organizations, and individuals, including:

(1) Providing animal management services to alleviate damage caused by wildlife.

(2)

Providing technical and planning assistance for a wildlife enhancement program on Indian and military lands; administration of the Wetland Referral Act; wilderness review; urban and rural services, and highway planning.

(3) Conducting a pesticide appraisal and monitoring program.

In the East, an extension-type program including offices on 11 university campuses is carried out under working agreements with virtually all State extension services. In the western portion of the Nation, the Division has an operational program with 700 cooperative employees.

Support functions, including improved planning, budgeting, and professional supervision, are of increasing importance at the Central, Regional and State office levels. Greater Congressional and Executive Branch interests, the inquiries of a more concerned public, and the need for increased liaison and coordination all require expanded supervisory and staff personnel to provide responsive services. There has been a steady decrease in manpower due primarily to inflationary costs during a period of relatively stable appropriations, as indicated by a drop in Federal man-years from 268 in F.Y. 1965 to 220 in 1969. Managing an expanding program with a reduced work force has only partially been overcome by training, improved manpower utilization, reliance on mobile forces, new techniques, and more careful appraisal of need.

(1) Animal Damage Control. The objectives of the cooperative animal damage control program are to (1) reduce threats to human health and safety; (2) protect livestock and crops; (3) protect forest range and wildlife resources; (4) protect residential, business, and industrial properties.

Approximately 70 percent of the total funds for the western operational program are provided to the Bureau by States, counties, agricultural associations, other Federal agencies, and private individuals.

The methods used vary from simple repellents and frightening devices to toxic compounds. Potentially hazardous procedures require the employment of skilled professionals supervised by trained biologists. Extension and educational methods are used wherever practical.

Protection of human health and safety. In cooperation with local, State, and Federal public health agencies, the Bureau participates in programs of suppressing animal-borne diseases, principally bubonic plague and rabies, by reduction of the vectors. Widespread outbreaks of both diseases frequently occur in wildlife populations. Surveillance and control are a continuing function of our field force. A severe outbreak of rabies in San Diego, California, took the life of one child during the past year and has involved a number of other humans. In the past four years, cases and deaths from bubonic plague in humans have occurred in a number of western States, especially among the Indians. The objective is to reduce to zero the incidents of human infection; also, to reduce livestock losses from rabies.

Bird-aircraft strikes have increased steadily with the increase in jet engines and the increase in air transportation. For example, one airline company has published a figure of $2 million loss over a five-year period, and another reported 75

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