The politics of nature

Such hatred for science, the gooney right. Karl Rove was involved in
this one, too, so Gordon Smith could get the Klamath Basin vote.

And, Mr. Hill, I lived in Malin, Oregon, so I know the issues.

Cya!

Peace

18 November 2003

For More Information Contact:
Glen Spain, PCFFA Northwest, 541-689-2000

Final US Fish & Wildlife Klamath Fish Kill Report Confirms Low Flows
as Major Factor in 2002 Lower Klamath Fish Kill
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service today released its much-awaited final
scientific assessment on the underlying causes of the disasterous
Klamath Basin September 2002 fish kill, in which more than 34,000
adult pre-spawning salmon and steelhead perished in the Klamath River.
The report confirms that near-record low flows were indeed a major
factor in those losses.

Average monthly flows from Iron Gate Dam during September 2002 were
the fifth lowest in the period from 1978 to 2002, and the lowest
levels ever seen when combined with higher than average incoming fish
runs. Near record low flows also contributed to the crowding of fish
into the lower river as well as elevated water temperatures, stressing
the fish and creating perfect conditions for an epidemic spread of
diseases (Ich and columnaris) that are always present, but which
normally cannot spread so rapidly nor with such devastating effects.

The September 2002 fish kill was the largest loss of pre-spawning
adult salmon ever recorded in the Klamath River, and one of the worst
fish kills ever seen in this country.

Water flows from the headwaters of the river to below Iron Gate Dam
are controlled entirely by the federal Bureau of Reclamation. Summer
water releases from Iron Gate Dam are frequently only whatever water
is left over after the Bureau of Reclamation first subtracts water
deliveries to Klamath Project irrigators, which can use more than half
of all the water normally flowing from the headwaters during summer
irrigation months. Much of the water released from Iron Gate Dam is
also of poor quality, including agricultural waste water return flows
from the Project.

Iron Gate Dam is at River Mile 192. It is not until the Klamath River
merges with the Trinity River inflow at River Mile 43 that any
significant amount of water is added to the main river from its
tributaries. The primary problem of low flows during September 2002
was thus at Iron Gate Dam. During that same time period, the Trinity
River inflow was among the highest it has been in many years, and at
full "Record of Decision" flows levels.

The flows through Iron Gate Dam were deliberately set unusually low in
2002 by the Bush Administration in order to assure delivery of normal
water allotments to Klamath Irrigation Project irrigators, even though
the basin was still racked with drought, and in spite of the risk to
ESA-listed coho salmon and fall chinook populations which are vitally
important to the lower river fishing-dependent economy.

"The Administration was warned by California Fish and Game Biologists,
by the Tribes' Biologists and by commercial fishermen that flows that
low would lead to disaster, and so they did," commented Glen Spain,
Northwest Regional Director of the Pacific Coast Federation of
Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA), which represents lower river and
coastal salmon fishermen. "This is just a post mortem, but it confirms
what we were telling the Administration all along. You cannot expect
fish to survive in a warm water trickle of what was once a mighty
river."

Immediate economic losses in the lower river fishing-dependent economy
resulting from the fish kill were at least $20 million in 2002 alone,
and since salmon numbers in later years depend on this year's brood
stock, the losses in 2002 will have economic ripple effects for many
years to come that will affect much of the west coast salmon fishery.
Salmon fisheries from Half Moon Bay, California to Florence, Oregon
open or close depending on the strength of Klamath River fall chinook
runs. Nearly 20 percent of that whole run was lost as a result of the
2002 fish kill, and many of the surviving wild adults spawners were
severely weakened, which means that their egg fertility levels were
also likely depressed. Juveniles smolt counts this spring, which were
the progeny of the survivors of 2002, were in fact exceedingly low.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Report confirms the findings of a similar
report by the California Department of Fish and Game, that low flows
in the Klamath River from Iron Gate Dam were a major contributing
factor in the fish kill. Low flows also lead inevitably to higher than
normal fish densities as well as higher than optimal temperatures in
the water, which all contributed to the spread of these diseases
according to the Fish and Wildlife Service Report.

Over-appropriation of limited water supplies in the Upper Basin,
primarily for commercial irrigation, have in recent years lead to less
and less water being made available to support downriver fisheries
worth literally billions of dollars to lower river and coastal
economies.

*****

For the Fish and Game Report see: http://sacramento.fws.gov.

For more information on the September 2002 fish kill and a copy of the
prior California Department of Fish and Game Report see:
http://www.klamathbasin.info/fishkill1.htm.

###




On Wed, 31 Dec 2003 09:46:18 -0800, "Chris HIll"
wrote:

Typical lying from the looney left. Just like all these wannabe political
analysts that know absolutely nothing except how to cut and paste tripe into
their brains and bother folks in an outdoor oriented newsgroup. Take this
a$$wipe for example, he claims the administration killed 30k salmon due to
the agricultural needs of the area. Dig down just one thin layer of
information and we see that this is a Fuc*** reservoir that was built
SPECIFICALLY for the farmer's irrigation. Natural habitat my A$$. Now why
don't you idiot leftists get a clue that the educated public isn't buying
you trash. Have I said enough? Good now if you have something to contribute
to back country discussions go for it.
Chris

I don't know. J. Edgar, Johnson, and
Kennedy all preceded Nixon, so there
was much to question. I'm not sure
what is cause and what is effect.



Yes And may ond deceased grand mother once told me that they did not call the
"Roaring Twenties", the "Roaring Twenties" for nothing. The point being that
politics and politicians have never been totaly innocent (except the current
administration of course) during our history.

Lou T