[env-trinity] Low flows, low run expected for Klamath River salmon this fall

[Tom Stokely]

http://www.times-standard.com/environment-and-nature/20160723/low-flows-low-run-expected-for-klamath-river-salmon-this-fall


Low flows, low run expected for Klamath River salmon this fall

Researcher calls for ‘vigilant’ oversight; county requests Trinity River dam releases
By Will Houston, Eureka Times-StandardSaturday, July 23, 2016While conditions on the Klamath River are looking more favorable for fish compared to recent years of drought and disease, North Coast researchers and tribes are not expecting fall-run salmon to have an easy journey.On top of that, predicted salmon runs are so low this year that for the first time in its 54-year history, the Yurok Tribe’s annual Klamath Salmon Festival on Aug. 20 will not be serving any salmon. “There are not enough fish to feed our families, many of which will need food assistance, as a result of this manmade catastrophe,” Yurok Tribal Chairman Thomas O’Rourke said in a statement.O’Rourke and other local tribes including the Karuk and Hoopa Valley are pointing the finger of blame at federally regulated dams and are claiming that not enough water is being released to prevent deadly parasitic outbreaks on salmon.Sweet Water Sciences fish biologist Joshua Strange said the expected low returns of spawning salmon are caused by widespread disease outbreaks that have occurred in recent years as well as poor ocean conditions.“When you put those two together, you would expect to have lower returns to spawn,” Strange said. “Conversely, when those conditions do improve you would expect the number of spawners to bounce back.”While increased precipitation this past winter has improved the flows in the Klamath River, Strange said it was not enough to replenish the creeks, springs and other river tributaries that salmon normally use to spawn.“They’re worse than we would expect given the amount of precipitation compared with the previous years of drought,” Strange said. “That combined with the fact that disease problems were really bad during the last couple years means we need to remain vigilant and take appropriate preventative action as warranted to ensure fish health.”Over the last two years, spawning salmon and their offspring experienced harsh and often deadly conditions on the river including the first outbreak of a deadly gill parasite since the 2002 Klamath River fish kill. The drought conditions also resulted in warm, low flowing waters that further stressed fish immune systems. Recent studies conducted by local tribes show that up to 91 percent of juvenile salmon were infected by an intestinal parasite in both 2014 and 2015, with most expected to have died from it.The dam-controlling Bureau of Reclamation made several dam water releases to try and combat these outbreaks, including an unprecedented emergency water release in 2014.In anticipation of what is projected to be another low-flow year, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors has filed a formal request for 50,000 acre-feet of Trinity River water to be released from Lewiston Dam. When that water will be released is still up for discussion, 3rd District Supervisor and board Chairman Mark Lovelace said, but what is known is that it will be used to improve flows for incoming fish while also flushing away parasites and their intermediate hosts. The 50,000 acre-feet of water was promised to Humboldt County in a 1955 congressional act and subsequent contract between the county and Bureau of Reclamation in 1959. A solicitor’s opinion from the U.S. Interior Department — which oversees the Bureau of Reclamation — in 2014 affirmed Humboldt County’s right to the 50,000 acre-feet and clarified that the bureau’s routine dam releases do not count toward that water allocation.Lovelace said that the county is also considering releasing this water at different times of the year, but said those uses will require more stakeholder outreach and possibly further environmental reviews.“After 65 years of waiting to get this (water) right affirmed, I think it’s good for us to move cautiously in terms of how we go forward with this,” he said. “We want to make sure we’re using this water for the best long-term interest of the Trinity River and all downstream communities.”While fall-run salmon are not expected to move into the river until late August, Karuk Tribe Natural Resources Policy Adviser Craig Tucker said that river conditions in the months preceding their arrival have been favorable. This spring, the Bureau of Reclamation ramped up flows, which churned and flushed the gravel on the river bed that often contain worms known to host intestinal parasites.“Disease rates have been much lower,” Tucker said. “... A healthy river system depends on high water events to maintain the quality of the river channel.”Tribes and environmental organizations are calling on federal agencies to quickly draft a defined schedule for dam water releases until four hydroelectric dams are removed from the river in 2020 as proposed by the pending Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement. Should such a plan not be drafted, these entities intend to file federal lawsuits.The Bureau of Reclamation is currently developing a long-term plan for lower Klamath River salmon populations, which would include set protocol for how and when more water should be released from dams to prevent such outbreaks.Will Houston can be reached at 707-441-0504.
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