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Show DVVR study Fish Habitat With the considerable demands placed on Utah's streams by agricultural, municipal and industrial interests, fish and their habitat are often given little consideration. This problem is not unique to Utah. The allocation of water has been an issue in most western states for many years. This has been a concern with all state wildlife agencies in the west, according ac-cording to Lynn Kaeding, a resource analyst with the Division of Wildlife Resources. "We know we lost fish," says Kaeding, "but it's often difficult to quantify the problem." Kaeding and Resource Analyst Bill Geer of the DWR are now involved in a project which will help the Division be more definitive in their description of loss of trout habitat. Through a program administered ad-ministered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and offered to many western states, the two biologists are gathering data on several of Utah's streams. Computers will use this information to predict de-watering effects on fish habitat. The study sites include types of trout habitat, such as pools, riffles and fast runs. Using surveying and other equipment, Kaeding and Geer are able to get data on stream depth, width and velocity. They return several times during the year to the same sites. "The computer," explains Kaeding, "will use our information in-formation to predict the changes in trout habitat based on different streamflows." |