California should establish a system of aquatic reserves to protect the state's many threatened fish species, as well as the plants and animals that share their watery environments, according to a UC Davis biologist. "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," says Peter B. Moyle, a professor of wildlife and fisheries biology. "In fishes alone, we are losing, on the average, one species every six years." In a recent report released by the California Policy Seminar, Moyle proposes a statewide system of protected waters known as Aquatic Diversity Management Areas devoted to protection of specific fish habitats and 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. 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, grouped into five regional clusters, provide the basis for suggested areas of protection.