Wyoming state and federal resource management agencies manage aquatic species (including fish) in the Planning Area. The WGFD has statutory responsibility to protect all aquatic wildlife and is responsible for regulating the sport and commercial take of all fish in the Planning Area. The BLM manages the habitat on BLM-administered lands that supports both game and nongame fish species where they are found, and BLM management indirectly affects all aquatic species both upstream and downstream of BLM-administered lands. This analysis describes the potential impacts to fish habitat on BLM-administered lands.

Adverse impacts result from management actions that degrade fish habitat, including impacts to riparian/wetland habitat, changes in water quality (e.g., temperature, chemistry, etc.), or decreases in water quantity (e.g., natural flow regime) in the Planning Area. Beneficial impacts are those that improve or preserve riparian/wetland habitats and water quality or quantity by maintaining natural flow regimes.

Both natural events and human activities that result in changes to or stressors on habitat components such as vegetation, water quality, or water quantity may result in direct and indirect impacts to fish resources. Direct impacts include management actions that cause onsite disturbances to fish habitat. In addition, management actions that impact recreational access by the public to fish resources would be a direct impact to this resource. Indirect impacts include management actions that result in changes in water quality and quantity that subsequently affect fish. Actions that increase the transport of sediment to and through streams or increase deposition in streams are also considered indirect impacts.