Lake Havasu Fisheries Improvement Program

The Lake Havasu Fisheries Improvement Program is a partnership of Federal, state, and local organizations working together to improve the fish habitat of Lake Havasu in Arizona. The group, led by the Bureau of Land Management Lake Havasu Field Office’s Fisheries Biologist Rachel Wirick, is comprised of the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arizona Game and Fish, Arizona State Parks and Trails, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Anglers United, the Lake Havasu Divers Association, and the Lake Havasu Marine Association.

History

The partnership formed in 1992 to enhance the naturalness of Lake Havasu. The primary goal is increasing the fishery’s species richness and predator-prey interactions improving angling. In the first decade, the partners installed 90 acres of artificial habitat resulting in the improvement of about 875 acres of cove complexes.

In 2005, the management plan evolved to include monitoring and maintaining the longevity and productivity of the installed habitats. The new features of the plan covered a broad range of projects to upgrade the fishery including an additional on-shore public fishing facility at Contact Point, monitoring endangered fish survival and habitat preferences. The partnership also assesses and maintains artificial habitats, fishing facilities, and the supplemental brush program, which the partners use to create additional aquatic habitat.

What we do

We supplement the nutrients and habitat of the unique desert reservoir ecology of Lake Havasu to sustain a high-quality fishery. This is accomplished with a combination of artificial reefs constructed of PVC pipes and snow fencing along with concrete reef balls creating fish habitat in 124 coves managed by the BLM on the Arizona and California Shorelines of Lake Havasu. Natural brush bundles are installed in addition to the artificial habitat to provide a nutrient base for the bottom of the food web and habitat for fish through deterioration that leaves behind interstitial spaces between the larger branches.

The brush bundles are created using donated palm fronds and tree branches from local landscapers, which also reduces the amount of material being sent to the local landfill. The landscapers bring the brush to Partners Point where it is unloaded from their trailers and bundled using steel strapping. Sandbags are added to each bundle to sink them before being loaded on the boat and installed into Lake Havasu in between 15 and 18 feet of water. This depth allows the material to be most accessible to fishes while staying out of the way of boat traffic.   

How to participate

• Volunteer to install brush bundles

• Bring us your branches of mesquite, cottonwood, willow, palo verde, acacia, citrus, olive, and palm fronds. Please no salt cedar, eucalyptus, creosote, or oleander. Materials and training will be provided to allow you to bundle the trimmings for easiest free removal. A $25 dollar tax credit per bundle donated is available. 

If you would like to volunteer with the brush program or if you are a landscaper and would like to know more of the incentives to participate, please contact Rachel Wirick, Bureau of Land Management Fisheries Biologist, at (928) 412-5965 or rwirick@blm.gov.

Trimming drop off times at Partners Point

Monday – Tuesday – Wednesday 

• July – September: 7:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. 

• October – June: 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Directions to Partners Point

Turn west on Havasu Rivera Parkway from State Route 95. Continue down Havasu Rivera Parkway. As you approach the Havasu Rivera Marina, you will turn left just before the guardhouse entrance to the marina. Follow the road until you reach the fenced yard with a gate. Align your vehicle with the gate for unloading.