To protect California's many threatened fish species, as well as the plants and animals that share their watery environments, two University of California, Davis, biologists are urging officials to establish a system of aquatic reserves throughout the state. Based on their recent study released in a report this month, Peter B. Moyle, a professor of wildlife and fisheries biology, and postdoctoral researcher Ronald M. Yoshiyama propose creating a statewide system of Aquatic Diversity Management Areas (ADMAs). The California Policy Seminar funded the study and published the report, which will be distributed to government policy-makers. "California's rapidly expanding human population is accelerating the deterioration of the state's natural environment, pushing more and more native plants and animals to the brink of extinction," said Moyle. "In fishes alone, we are losing, on the average, one species every six years. The best way to avoid creating endangered species is to protect habitats before emergency action is necessary." Underscoring the need for conservation, Moyle points out that of California's 116 kinds of native fishes, 8 have become extinct, 15 are formally listed as threatened or endangered, 28 qualify for listing and 21 are declining in numbers. They are victims of dams, diversions, poor logging and grazing practices, road building and unrestricted development in rural areas, said Moyle, who has spent more than 20 years monitoring the health of California fish populations. "World War II brought a tremendous surge in new technologies. Since then we've been using these technologies and stimulating massive changes in the landscape," Moyle said. "It's finally catching up to us." To halt the ecological degradation, the report proposes that a system of protected waters be established, devoted primarily to the long- and short-term conservation of aquatic biodiversity. These waters would range in size from small springs to entire rivers and lakes. Other uses of the protected areas might be continued as long as they didn't threaten the native plants and animals living there. "I'm not saying put up a fence, lock the area up and throw away the key," Moyle said. "For example, we wouldn't necessarily have to quit logging in an ADMA. We'd just have to use the most conservative techniques and minimize road building." The report includes 28 accounts of threatened or endangered fish species that have not yet been formally listed by the state or federal government. These accounts are grouped into five regional clusters representing Central California, the north coast, interior drainages, desert basins and Southern California. Moyle proposes a classification system of California's aquatic habitats that focuses on fish species, but also includes many fishless habitats. He stresses that the waters initially listed for protection, such as Deer Creek in Tehama County and Eagle Lake in Lassen County, should be considered the minimum needed to conserve aquatic diversity in the state. He suggests that every type of habitat listed in the system be protected in at least two ADMAs. For each habitat category, a one-page description should be completed as part of an expandable catalog of ADMAs that would serve as a source of information for management agencies and private citizens. Highest priority for protection would be given to those waters that are nearly pristine, represent unique ecosystems with native organisms, are habitats critical for threatened or endangered species, and are the best representatives of particular aquatic ecosystems. Once the ADMA system is set up, a long-term program of biological surveys and research should be established, Moyle said. Ideally, each ADMA would have a group of local citizens looking after it and making sure responsible agencies provided the management the ADMA needs. Alternatively, a cadre of professional "stream keepers" could be assigned to monitor and protect the designated waters. The arguments for providing such systematic protection for the state's fish species range from economics to aesthetics, but at the heart of the matter is a moral issue, Moyle said. "All of the beautiful and complex arguments boil down to a deep-seated feeling that it is simply wrong to eliminate species and ecosystems when we have the knowledge and power to prevent such losses," he said. The California Policy Seminar, which supports policy-oriented research, is jointly funded by the University of California and the State of California.