[env-trinity] Siskiyou Daily news; Big run on the Shasta

[Tom Stokely]

http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/article/20120918/NEWS/120919758 
Big run on the ShastaThe Yreka Office of the California Department of Fish and Game’s (CDFG) adult salmonid counting facility on the Shasta River is up and running and so are the Chinook salmon.
By John Bowman
September 18. 2012 1:40PM
Yreka, CA

 Zoom
The California Department of Fish and Game's Shasta RIver salmonid counting weir has collected official salmon population data since 1978.
The Yreka Office of the California Department of Fish and Game’s (CDFG) adult salmonid counting facility on the Shasta River is up and running and so are the Chinook salmon.  
According to CDFG Environmental Scientist Morgan Knechtle, as of Sunday morning, 2,927 Chinook have entered the Shasta River and passed through the counting weir on their way upstream in search of a mate and suitable spawning habitat.
This year’s run of Klamath River fall Chinook is predicted to be one of the most robust in more than a decade and early data indicates the run is on track to meet that prediction.
“The predicted number of adult Chinook for the Klamath basin is the highest since formal monitoring started in 1978. We’re off to an incredible start, especially considering that the historic peak of migration doesn’t occur until late September to early October,” according to Knechtle.
According to CDFG data, the 35-year average total run of fall Chinook in the Shasta River is 5,263. With more than a month of migration on the horizon, this year’s Shasta River run has already exceeded half of that average.
Knechtle said the Shasta River fish counting facility was installed on Aug. 23. The Bogus Creek fish counting facility adjacent to the Iron Gate Hatchery began operating on Sept. 9 and the Scott River fish counting facility is planned for installation in late September.  
The 2012 run of fall Chinook for the Klamath basin (including Trinity River) is predicted to be approximately 380,000 fish with a tribal harvest allocation of 160,000 fish and an in-river sport allocation of 67,600 fish.
The fall Chinook in-river fishing season started Aug. 15 on the Klamath River and Sept. 1 on the Trinity River. The season ends Dec. 31 for both rivers.
A valid California fishing license and salmon report card are required when fishing the Klamath Basin for Chinook salmon. Other area and gear restrictions do apply and anglers should consult the 2012-2013 freshwater regulations and 2012-2013 supplemental fishing regulations for the applicable restrictions, according to a CDFG press release.
The Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) has been releasing additional flow from Lewiston Dam on the Trinity River since mid-August. The additional water release was approved as a measure to ward off the risk of a massive fish kill as hundreds of  thousands of salmon enter the Klamath River system under low water conditions.
In 2002, low flows, high water temperatures and increased fish density combined with the natural occurrence of disease carrying, parasitic polychaete worms, resulting in a massive fish kill in which at least 34,000 Chinook died before spawning, according to official estimates.
BOR says this year’s additional flows are specifically intended  to flush the disease-carrying worms from the river and maintain a lower density of worms and fish during the Chinook migration, thereby reducing the infection rate.
The Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors voted to oppose the additional flow release, stating, “it does not appear that there has been sufficient consideration as to whether this action may be detrimental to other populations of Chinook and Coho.”
According to the board’s official comments submitted to BOR, they feared the additional flow would create a premature migration cue for Chinook, “resulting in fish moving into the Klamath River and its tributaries at times when temperature and flow conditions are marginal or even lethal.”
District 2 Supervisor Ed Valenzuela supported the flow release and was the only supervisor to vote against the submitted comments.
So far, no fish kills have been reported in the Klamath Basin this year.
Knechtle says he will be providing weekly updates on fish count numbers from each counting facility throughout the season.

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