[env-trinity] Smaller Salmon Runs for Klamath-Trinity

[Daniel Bacher]

Tom

You're absolutely right about the juvenile fish kill in the spring/early 
summer of 2002 that is having a big impact upon this year's run of 3 year 
old chinook. Here's my article that I wrote about this fishery disaster, the 
prelude to the September 2002 adult fish kill, in the spring of 2002.

The biologists quoted in the ap article seem to be doing everything they can 
to get the Bush administration off the hook for the Klamath juvenile fish 
kills of 2001 and 2002. There is absolutely no doubt that these fish kills - 
and projected lower 3 year old returns this year - were a direct result of 
Karl Rove's cynical decision to sacrifice the fisheries of the Klamath and 
Trinity rivers in order to curry favor with agribusiness to get a Republican 
Oregon Senator re-elected.

Dan Bacher

Judge Allows Bureau of Reclamation To Strand Klamath River Salmon

A federal judge issued a virtual death sentence upon juvenile chinook and 
coho salmon stranded by low flows in the Klamath River when she decided not 
to order the Bureau of Reclamation to release more water into the Klamath 
River through May 31.

Coastal commercial salmon fishermen, represented by the Pacific Coast 
Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA), were “deeply disappointed” 
with the decision on May 3 by Federal Judge Saundra Brown Armstrong in U.S. 
District Court in Oakland.  The PCFFA and Institute For Fishery Resources 
were the lead plaintiffs  in a suit seeking an emergency protective order 
from the court to prevent the Bureau from devastating this year’s juvenile 
salmon by cutting releases from Iron Gate Dam.

The Yurok tribe also supported the suit, handled by the Earthjustice Legal 
Fund, by filing an “amicus brief.”

The lower flows resulted from a decision by the Bush administration to 
release more water to Klamath Basin farmers this year after they rose up in 
protest over irrigation water cutoffs last year. US Interior Secretary and 
Agriculutre Secretary Ann Veneman, in a clear case of favoring subsidized 
agribusiness over downriver fishermen and the Yurok and Hoopa tribes, 
personally opened the head gates diverting water from the Klamath to the 
fields in late March.

“The court’s ruling was mixed,” said Glenn Spain, PCFFA Northwest Regional 
Director.  “The judge agreed with the fishermen on all their legal points, 
but ruled against them on their request for emergency relief at this time. 
She instead deferred to the agencies to work details out in the still 
uncompleted National Marine Fisheries Service formal Biological Opinion on 
the Bureau of Reclamations’s proposed 10 year water plan.”

However, Spain added that this was only “the first round”in this battle and 
emphasized that fishermen “will continue to fight for a fair share of water 
for the survival of the lower river economy.”

“The Bureau of Reclamation is trying to write off the lower river and 
coastal economy, but has forgotten that rivers also run to the sea,” said 
Spain. “All we have ever asked is a fair share of the water. Lower river and 
coastal fishermen are just as entitled to make a living and to feed their 
families as farmers, but cannot do so unless enough water is left in the 
river so that fish can survive.”

Spain noted that the lower Klamath River is receiving less water from the 
Bureau of Reclamation this year than last year, in spite of last year’s 
record drought.

The ruling came at a critical time for juvenile salmon and steelhead 
migrating downriver, when high, cold flows are critical to getting the fish 
safely to salt water.

“The fish are facing a crisis,” stated Troy Fletcher, executive director of 
the Yurok tribe. “The Bureau of Reclamation dropped the flows to 1300 cfs, 
less than half of flows of 2700 cfs that outmigrant coho salmon, chinook 
salmon and steelhead need.”

Crews from the Yurok and Karuk tribes, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the 
US Forest Service and the DFG have been rescuing stranded fish every day 
since May 1 from the river around Happy Camp to Iron Gate Dam. Fletcher 
could not give an exact number of fish stranded in the low flows, but 
emphasized that the number was in the “low thousands,” including many coho 
salmon.

Because of the diversion of water for agribusiness that has resulted in 
salmon declines over many decades, the tribe decided to only commercially 
fish for salmon for 4 out of the last 15 years. “Some years we can’t even 
meet our ceremonial and subsistence needs,” he noted.

The Karuk tribe supported the Yuroks and commercial fishermen in their 
efforts to restore flows. “The stranding of fish on the Klamath now may not 
seem that alarming to some, but the drop in flows has a large, cumulative 
effect on the fishery,” emphasized Leif Hillman, Director of Natural 
Resources for the Karuk tribe.

Recreational anglers also contested the decision as favoring Klamath Basin 
farmers over the fish and the tribes, commercial fishermen and recreational 
anglers that depend upon them.

“The court's decision will have a devastating effect on the river's salmon 
and steelhead populations," said John Beuttler on behalf of the California 
Sportfishing Protection Alliance. "Sufficient spring flows in the river are 
absolutely essential to ensure the successful migration of these young fish 
to the ocean.

Unfortunately, the court's decision allows for flows that could make every 
year a drought year by not requiring the flows necessary for most of these 
fish to get to the sea. It's another clear example of why anglers need to 
support fishery conservation groups fighting for their fisheries."

On the other hand, timber and agribusiness-backed wise use advocates were 
very pleased with the court decision. “It was a sound ruling consistent with 
the Bureau’s decision not to release water,” said Russell C. Brooks, the 
attorney for the Pacific Legal Foundation. “The federal court ruling follows 
a report by the National Academy of Sciences that determined that shutting 
off water to farms was not backed by the best available science - and that 
releasing more water may actually harm fish at times.”

The struggle to restore the Klamath and Trinity rivers has resulted in the 
formation of an unprecedented coalition of commercial fishermen, Indian 
tribes, recreational anglers and environmental groups, who may disagree on 
other issues, but agree over the need to restore flows to the 
Klamath-Trinity system.

“The Yurok, Hoopa and Karuk tribes, commercial fishermen, recreational 
anglers and environmental groups are all on the same page on this issue,” 
said Troy Fletcher. “It’s terrible that after last year’s decision by the 
Bush administration to put the fish first, the Bush administration has made 
a 180 degree turn in the opposite direction to support Klamath Basin 
farmers.  The more that sportsmen support us on this issue, the better it 
will be for everybody.”




"It's my understanding that there was a juvenile fish kill in spring/early 
summer of 2002 which affected this year's run of 3-year old chinook.  The 
impacts of the 2002 adult salmon kill on 3 year old fall chinook in the 
Klamath-Trinity will not be felt until next year.  The number of returning 
jacks this year will help determine what the impact of the adult fish kill 
will likely be next year.

Usually in the Trinity River, fall chinook outnumber spring chinook by a 
ratio of about 2/1.  However, it's my understanding that in 2002 due to the 
fish kill in the lower Klamath and a robust spring run on the Trinity, 
spring chinook outnumbered fall chinook by about 2/1, something not seen 
since the fish have been monitored here starting in the 1970's."

Tom Stokely

_________________________________________________________________
Persistent heartburn? Check out Digestive Health & Wellness for information 
and advice. http://gerd.msn.com/default.asp