Guidelines to NOAA Fisheries Staff for the Evaluation of Sediment Removal Actions from California Streams

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) is responsible for protecting, managing, and conserving marine, estuarine, and anadromous fish resources and their habitats under various legal authorities (Appendix 1). A guidance document specific to the NOAA Fisheries Southwest Region (SWR) for instream sediment removal is appropriate, because such actions have the potential to adversely affect all life stages of listed salmonids and because sediment removal actions are widespread in California streams.

The scientific literature documents that instream gravel mining operations and salmonids are often attracted to the same locations. The effects of instream gravel mining and channel maintenance have been widely recognized as potential impacts to aquatic resources. At least 13 states and 8 foreign countries have implemented restrictions or prohibitions on commercial sediment excavation from fish-bearing streams. Oregon and Washington have reallocated their aggregate  resource production from streams to predominantly floodplains and geologic deposits.

Aggregate production in California is focused primarily on streams. The annual aggregate extraction in California is estimated to exceed natural replenishment by an order of magnitude. In California the demand for high-quality aggregate materials is high because of a rapidly growing population, expanding industry, and the geologic nature of the most populous areas. NOAA Fisheries anticipates that pressures for stream-derived aggregates will continue to increase in the SWR. This convergence of geology and accelerating market demand has significant implications for the conservation and recovery of the freshwater habitats entrusted to NOAA Fisheries.