WATER TRANSFER PROJECTS AND THE ROLE OF FISHERIES BIOLOGISTS

Water transfer projects are commonly considered important mechanisms f or meeting increasing water demands. However, the movement of water fr om one area to another may have broad ecosystem effects, including on fisheries. The Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society hel d a symposium in 1995 at Virginia Beach,Virginia, to discuss the ecolo gical consequences of water transfer and identify the role of fisherie s biologists in such projects. Presenters outlined several case studie s, including the California State Water Project, Garrison Diversion Pr oject (North Dakota), Lake Texoma Water Transfer Project (Oklahoma-Tex as), Santee-Cooper Diversion and Re-diversion projects (South Carolina ), and Tri-State Comprehensive Study (Alabama-Florida-Georgia). Result s from these studies suggest that fisheries biologists have provided c ritical information regarding potential ecological consequences of wat er transfer. If these professionals continue to be called for informat ion regarding the ecological consequences of water transfer projects, developing a broader understanding of the ecological processes that af fect the fish species they manage may be necessary. Although the tradi tional role of fisheries biologists has focused on the fishing custome r base, fisheries management issues are only one component of the broa d spectrum of ecosystem issues resulting from water transfer.