Best Management Practices for Reservoir Fish Habitats

Best management practices (BMPs) are conservation measures and social actions for environmental protection, restoration, and enhancement. The Reservoir Fisheries Habitat Partnership has develop a toolbox of BMPs to address reservoir habitat problems that originate within the reservoir, tributaries, riparia, and watershed. The BMPs address habitat distress such as sedimentation, water quality, water clarity, eutrophication, water regime, connectivity, littoral plants, and structural habitat. The toolbox includes structural BMPs (e.g., those that are installed), non-structural BMPs (e.g., those that involve organizing or regulating), and procedural BMPs (e.g., those that involve following a process). The cost of implementing some BMPs can be high, such as some structural measures, but other BMPs carry no apparent cost, as in the case of establishing no-wake zones. A rating system that considers applicability, efficacy, reliability, feasibility, durability, affordability, and value added was developed to estimate the potential utility of BMPs at the local level. The BMPs are being made available through the Reservoir Fisheries Habitat Partnership website as a starting point for developing local habitat management strategy.