FISHERMEN'S CORNER

    Here we meet the fishermen!  How do they feel?  How are they impacted? To what do they attribute the Klamath River fish concerns?  We share with you their input and related articles.
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Salmon trollers, others sue federal agency over catch cutbacks, Newport News 6/8/95. Sign holders  l-r Rayburn Guerin, President Oregon Trollers Association, Cheri Moore and AD Evanow, vp OTA

PLF Files Lawsuit to Block Federal Regulation Slashing Fishing Season by More than Half Despite Record Numbers of Salmon, posted 6/5/05.

* The effect of ocean Conditions on salmon survival and returns  POWER POINT presented by Joseph C Greene, Research Biologist of Greene Environmental Services 6/11/06

Klamath Courier series: Klamath Irrigators and Coastal Fishermen:       They did not restore the Klamath salmon in 20 years; And now they want more money to manage fish and farms, Klamath Courier 2/8/06        "They misspent $20 million dollars", Coos County Commissioner weighs in on fisheries management and agriculture,  Klamath Courier, posted to KBC 2/6/06.        Coastal Fishermen meet with Klamath Water Users What happened to Klamath River salmon?, Klamath Courier 1/25/06. "Coastal Fishermen told Klamath farmers that the government is breaking the law, destroying the fisheries, and blaming Klamath Project irrigators for results of the government's mismanagement."

Fishy definitions, compiled by Julie Smithson, 11/15/06. For anyone hoping to make sense of scientific reports or fishery data, this information is essential. Smithson defines terms like 'Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP), Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, Habitat Effectiveness Index (HEI), etc to help us understand technical reports. Thank you Julie.

FULL NAS report: Delayed upwelling alters nearshore coastal ocean ecosystems in the northern California currents, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science March 2007. HERE for summary, "We devote a large amount of our resources for salmon recovery to in-stream habitat restoration ... but should also be focusing some resources on learning more about the oceanic conditions that effect salmon population health as well."

 

 

Columbia Basin Bulletin 2/26/10, "Sea Lions Snacking On Sturgeon, Last Year's Huge Fall Chinook Jack Return Brings Predictions Of Big Run This Year,  Higher Return Of Sacramento River Fall Chinook, Revise Critical Habitat For Bull Trout, Northwest Tribes Receive $1.3 Million..."

 

Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Bulletin, posted to KBC 1/10/10
* 'Early Bird' Basin Water Supply Forecast For Spring, Summer Shows Below Average
* Mid-Columbia Coho Restoration Program Showing Fish Returns 'Beyond Expectation'
* Refined Forecasts Show 2010 Could See Record Return Of Wild Snake River Spring/Summer Chinook
* Increased Efforts To Reduce Bird Predation At Mid-Columbia Dams Help Achieve Fish Survival Standards

 

Columbia Basin Bulletin, 12/11/09, including:
* Harvest Managers For 2010 Predict Largest Spring Chinook Return On Record
* 2009 Fall Chinook Redd Counts In Snake River's Hells Canyon Marks Another Record

 

Rebuilding the North Coast salmon run, Napa Valley Register, posted 11/30/09. "Prosecute illegal gill-netters and gill-netting techniques through the enforcement of applicable federal and state laws. Currently, Hoopa gill-netters are dropping nets that extend bank to bank, which makes it virtually impossible for salmon to make it past the nets. Also, I believe this tribe is fishing with gill nets during the day and have continued to fish with gill nets after their fish quota has been achieved. These practices are illegal according to federal and state law and the Hoopa Tribal Fishing Code."

 

Are gill nets decimating Klamath and Trinity salmon runs?, Redding Record Searchlight 11/8/09. "Ferris, now 57, says he catches as many as 700 salmon a year using gill nets.... the Yurok and the Hoopa Valley tribes - report that they've hauled in almost 28,000 fish, close to this year's allotment, Huber and other guides said very few salmon are making it past the tribal waters and into areas where they can catch them...20,000 pounds of salmon - about 2,000 fish worth $60,000 - from the Trinity caught by members of the Hoopa Valley Tribe ended up for sale at the San Francisco fish market..." "That is our river," Fletcher (Yurok) said. "Those are our fish..."

 

Columbia Basin Bulletin posted to KBC 11/1/09

 

My Opinion: Coho in the Klamath River. This report has been made by history research writer and former and half-century resident of the Klamath River, Karuk tribal member James A. Waddell, in 2009

 

Coho returning to Columbia in big numbers, Capital Press 10/26/09. "About 700,000 coho were projected to return to the river system this year -- at least 200,000 more than last year...They say ocean conditions are mostly responsible."
Huge coho run will help feed Oregon’s hungry, ODFG, posted to KBC 10/28/09

 

Fishermen contest plans for Calif. ocean reserves, Capital Press, posted to KBC 10/28/09

 

No surprise: Salmon most expensive endangered species, Oregonian, posted to KBC 10/18/09. "...the total spent on the 13 salmon and steelhead species in the Columbia Basin since 1978 exceeds $12 billion."

 

NW Fishletter #267, October 12, 2009
Analysis: Dam Breaching Made Simple
BiOp Plaintiffs File Same Old Complaints
Plaintiffs Want Docs From NOAA's 'Secret' Science Panel
Juvenile Steelhead Survival Soars In Hydro System
Huge Jack Count For Fall Run In The Snake
700 Sockeye Make It All The Way To Redfish Lake
New Klamath Settlement Targets BuRec As Likely Removal Entity

 

Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Bulletin, 10/16/09 including:
* Snake River Wild Steelhead Return Breaks Record; Fall Chinook Jacks Four Times Previous Record
* Fall Fish Returns Strong, Catch Rates High; Sport Coho Catch Second Highest On Record

 

California panel adds new marine sanctuary zone, Sacramento Bee 8/7/09. "The new preserves cover 153 square miles of ocean between Half Moon Bay and Mendocino. Starting Jan. 1, fishing will be permanently banned or restricted in the zones...The Department of Fish and Game estimates "adequate" law enforcement in the statewide preserve network would cost $27 million in the first year and $17 million annually thereafter. It has nowhere near that level of funding." A Comment: "We are adding sanctuary zones to protect fish, but we are releasing 40K prisoners on the general population of California to prey on them."

 

Klamath’s fall run of chinook promising; Numbers slightly up from recent years, Triplicate, posted to KBC 8/6/09. "...a report...estimated the number of 2-year-old Klamath-spawned chinook in the ocean at about 500,000. “We are predicting 131,000 to 139,000 3-year-olds in the Klamath,” "... this is a slightly higher run than normal.” “We have a record level allocation for this season on the Klamath. The in-river sport fishery has been allocated 30,800 fish and the tribes have been allocated 30,900.”

 

Forecast: Record 700,000 Coho Headed For Columbia, Strong Summer Steelhead, Fall Chinook Run, CBB July 24, 2009

 

Recreation Report: Make plans for ocean coho fishing trip, East Oregonian 6/25/09. "SALEM - The 2009 season managers have set the largest ocean coho quota since 1992."

Commission approves coastal coho, fall chinook seasons, ODFW 6/5/09
 

Sea Lions Avoid Traps In Favor Of Dam's Concrete Pad; Stellers Taking More Salmon, CBB May 8, 2009

 

Fall-run Chinook lags; coho run will be huge, Statesman Journal, posted to KBC 4/12/09

 

PFMC Again Recommends Closing Most Salmon Fishing Off California, Southern Oregon Coast, CBB 4/10/09

 

Ocean salmon seasons on brink of big changes, Oregonian, posted to KBC 3/30/09. "Anglers are looking forward to one of the best (predicted, anyway) offshore salmon seasons in the memories of many; certainly the best of this century...wait a minute...this millenium! At a minimum, there appear to be enough coho salmon available to fish through much, maybe most, of the summer."

 

Humane Society Arguments Open Briefing In Appeals Court Sea Lion Removal Case, CBB 3/27/09

 

Siskiyou Supervisors Trash Fishing and Cal Trout, by Felice Pace, response by Marcia Armstrong, Siskiyou County Supervisor 3/21/09

 

Appeals Court Upholds NOAA's Hatchery vs. Wild ESA Salmon Listing Policies, CBB, posted to KBC 3/21/09.

 

Ocean 'Indicators' Help Develop Forecasts For Columbia River Salmon Returns, CBB, posted to KBC 3/21/09. "The June 2008 trawls for chinook were 'the best that we've seen,' "

Ocean Conditions, Lack Of Biodiversity Likely Caused Sacramento River Chinook Collapse, CBB posted to KBC 3/21/09 3/20/09

 

Council invites comment on options for 2009 ocean salmon seasons, Ore. Dept of Fish and Wildlife 3/20/09. "In meetings last week, the PFMC announced the strongest hatchery coho abundance forecast since 2001, raising prospects of a banner year for sport fishermen along the coast."

 

Pacific Fishery Management Council releases salmon abundance forecasts for 2009 fishing season, posted to KBC 3/13/09

(States Begin Trapping Salmon-Eating Sea Lions, CB Bulletin 3/13/09

Oregon) coho fishing holds promise; Chinook fishing likely to be nil, Umpqua Post 3/10/09
 

Judge Denies Stay Request To Halt Lethal Sea Lion Removal Below Bonneville Dam, CB Bulletin 1/30/09

 

Proposed Salmon-Tagging Study Seeks Better Info On Lower River Sea Lion Predation, CBBulletin, posted 1/25/09. "The preliminary cost estimate for the pilot study is $225,000." (KBC note: Sea lions kill thousands of endangered salmon per year,  yet they are still studying whether to controll the predators)

Salmon Go Acoustic At Research Confab, NW Fish Letter, posted 1/9/09"...the benefits from modifying dam passage for fish was small potatoes compared to the huge vagaries they encounter in the ocean."
 

Radanovich Urges U.S. FWS, DOJ to issue Correction of Information of Delta Smelt BO, Congressman Radanovich 1/7/09.

 

Deadline for 2008 Salmon Disaster Relief Program is Dec. 31.

Near-Shore Survey Suggests 2008 Ocean Conditions For Fish One Of The Best On Record, posted 12/20/08 CBB.

Ocean conditions in Oregon among best for fish in 50 years, LA Times, posted to KBC 12/20/08, FOLLOWED BY ocean condition articles in OPB and the Oregonian.

New Study Details How Ocean Fish Farming Harms Wild Salmon, CBB 12/19/08

Healthy salmon runs on other rivers raise questions about the Sacramento, Redding Record Searchlight 12/15/08. "But while the Sacramento has continued to see declining returns this year, fall Chinook runs on the Klamath and Columbia rivers - the next two major river systems north - appear to be healthy." (KBC NOTE: according to the Karuk, Yurok and Hoopa Tribes, Klamath River dams must come out because they are making salmon extinct. Science has been replaced with politics.)
 

Humane Society Files Notice To Appeal To Ninth Circuit On Sea Lion Removal, CB Bulletin, posted 12/15/08.

 

Biologists use X-ray machines to study endangered Klamath fish, KDRV, posted to KBC 12/10/08

 

Is salmon survival research emotionally or scientifically motivated, KMVT, posted to KBC 12/6/08

 

Salmon advocates seek more water over dams, Legal motion deals with Columbia and Snake rivers, H&N, posted to KBC 12/1/08

 

Judge: No reprieve for sea lions, H&N, posted 12/1/08

 

Salmon funds released, H&N, posted to KBC 12/1/08

 

A promising share-the-catch plan for California fisheries, SF Chronicle 11/12/08

 

Fish returning to hatcheries; Chinook salmon numbers are average at Iron Gate Hatchery, H&N, posted to KBC 10/28/08

 

Studies find changes in (Klamath)area sucker populations, followed by: Plan sets course for fish, by  H&N 10/22/08. (KBC note includes quotes by fisheries scientist Dave Vogel regarding the 10's of thousands of fish in Klamath Lake, and Dr William Lewis Jr., University of Colorado, from the National Academy of Science, explaining the water quality was historically bad in Klamath Lake and downsizing agriculture and making more swamps will not help the suckers or effect the water quality.)
 

Coho Returns Boosted From 68,600 To 200,000, Many Fish Larger Than Usual, CB Bulletin 10/17/08

 

Upriver Coho Surge Allows More Tribal Commercial Fishing Days Above Bonneville, CBBulletin 10/17/08. "...tribal fishers will again spread their nets next week in Columbia River reservoirs above Bonneville Dam...Fish continue to be available for sale to the public "over the bank" at numerous locations upstream of Bonneville...Tribal coho harvest through this week totals an estimated 18,620 to date...The treaty harvest is projected to total 42,572 "upriver brights"...The fall fisheries will have netted a total of 107,546 chinook in total this year, according to tribal estimates. The total steelhead catch is expected to be 24,645."

 

Yurok Tribe netting salmon - To KBC from Sherrie: "Recently my husband and I were at the coast visiting. We decided to go check out the Klamath River where is meets the ocean. We were shocked when we arrived. Hundreds of people from the Yurok tribe fishing with nets. The nets spanned pretty much across the whole width of the river as far as I could see up the river. How are the Salmon supposed to get passed the Yurok tribe to get to Klamath in the first place?" Sherrie. HERE for photos

 

Fishermen back-bounce for salmon from drift boats Sunday in the Klamath River near Hornbrook, Siskiyou Daily News, posted 10/8/08

 

What do they have against us (fishermen)? Times-Standard, posted to KBC 9/30/08

 

Fish die-off a common occurrence on Klamath, Siskiyou Daily News 9/29/08

 

Klamath River fishing is fit for a king, Press Banner, posted to KBC 9/26/08. "Inside the river’s lagoon, the Yurok Tribe sets gill nets to capture salmon for the commercial market and subsistence use. If salmon make their way through the maze of gill nets, they begin the journey upriver...the majority of adult salmon being caught in the nets brought on low scores."

 

April - August 2007 Klamath Juvenile Salmonid Health Monitoring Report, Fish and Wildlife, posted to KBC 9/26/08

 

Indian nets hamper Salmon, Pioneer Press, posted September 25, 2008. "...Indian nets near the mouth of the Klamath River and upstream were still hampering the ability of larger adult salmon to travel upstream..."

 

Feds release millions in salmon disaster aid for West Coast fishermen, Oregonian, posted to KBC 9/19/08. "A task force of scientists is assessing the cause of the collapse, but most experts think the key factor was unusually warm ocean conditions that knocked the bottom out of the marine food chain when young salmon first went to sea. That left them little to eat."

 

Conditions improve ocean salmon rebound, The Daily Triplicate, posted to KBC 9/17/08. "Recent research in Oregon suggests the cycle of warm ocean conditions that contributed to poor salmon survival off the West Coast the last few years has ended, setting the stage for a rebound of Sacramento River fall Chinook....After three weeks of good jack numbers but scarce adult salmon, fall Chinook fishing has picked up in the lower Klamath. Many guides limited out by mid-morning the past several days..."
 

 

Administration: Salmon disaster money on its way, Capital Press 9/17/08

 

This Year's Colder Ocean Conditions Off NW Coast Good News For Salmon Growth, September 12, 2008 Columbia Basin Bulletin. "Trawl surveys conducted in June off the coasts of Oregon and Washington netted the highest number of juvenile spring chinook salmon in those 11 years – 2 ½ time more than the next highest total." (KBC NOTE: 2008 had good ocean conditions, record salmon runs, yet THIS YEAR the feds shut down ocean commercial fisheries blaming a low run on the Sacramento. 2 years ago they blamed a weak Klamath run, yet this year Klamath has a bumper crop. The moral of the story - Klamath farmers didn't make the fish go extinct, neither did the Central Valley farmers, nor did the Klamath dams. Ocean conditions effect the salmon. In '07, the Columbia had a weak run and Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen blamed the dams. Decimating the ocean commercial fishermen with 'weak stock management' allows the feds to base ocean fishing on any river that happens to have a low run, regardless of the other bumper runs like this year. In 2007, when ocean fishing was curtailed because of low Klamath runs, only 5% of the fish that summer were Klamath stock, meaning that destroying the fishermen's economies was not justified. The enviros, like Glen Spain with PCFFA, have been determined to pit farmers against fishermen with letters like he sent the Oregon trollers).

 

Ocean Protection Council hears from fishermen, posted to KBC Sept 12, 2008, Half Moon Bay Review, "First, we have to get the dams down," says PCFFA Zeke Grader. (KBC NOTE: Yet 2 or 3 yrs ago, Sacramento had a record run of salmon, like the Klamath and Columbia this year.)

 

PFMC Hears Progress Report On Analysis Of West Coast Salmon Stock Decline, CB Bulletin 9/12/08. "The anticipated return was so small that the PFMC in April set the most restrictive salmon fisheries in the history of the West Coast. They cited the Sacramento collapse and Sacramento River fall chinook and the exceptionally poor status of coho salmon from Oregon and Washington and adopted a complete closure of commercial and sport chinook fisheries off California and most of Oregon..."Studies, studies, studies, $, $, $, bumper fish in Columbia and Klamath, yet, "We're still very aware that ocean conditions were very poor in 2005, and little better in 2006,"

 

Analysis says more salmon coming into Klamath River, Eureka Reporter, posted to KBC 9/8/08

 

Judge's 'Tentative Thoughts' Lean Toward Approving Lethal Removal Of Sea Lions Followed by: More Fish, More Sea Lions Lead To Record Sea Lion 'Catch' In 2008. Columbia Basin Bulletin, posted to KBC 9/11/08

Fall Chinook Catch Rates Highest Since the 1980s; Record 14, 913 Fish Pass Dam In One Day, August 28, 2008 Columbia Basin Bulletin

 

Primetime nears for Klamath River salmon, The Daily Triplicate, posted to KBC 8/22/08. "As expected, this year's fall Chinook season on the lower Klamath River is shaping up to be a good one."

 

Where have all the fish gone? Fishing line, Sacramento Bee 8/21/08. "Trinity/Klamath rivers KLAMATH RIVER, Klamath Glen--According to Rivers West Outfitters, there are so many Indian gill nets killing salmon and blocking the river that a boat can't negotiate down to the mouth. There weren't so many on Sunday near the shop, good news, but the Indians had only moved them farther upriver, bad news. Even so, excellent halfpounder steelhead action on the smaller fish that wiggle through the nets, and also big numbers of jack salmon with the occasional escapee adult."
The Great Lie, Pioneer Press, letter by Rick Crocker, Happy Camp. "I have been to the mouth of the Klamath and have seen many dead salmon, white and rotten, floating in some of the nets. There are hundreds of nets and then travel up river to the so-called reservoir and they have 100 yard long nets, of all size mesh, nets four inches, six inches, eight inches, who really knows. they monitor themselves on how many fish they count. A few Yuroks have told me and bragged about the fact that if they are allowed 40,000 salmon, they will take 60,000 or 80,000, however many they want..."

 

State closes ocean sport salmon season, Coos Bay World Link, posted 8/14/08

 

Fishing in a crowd can be fun, Times-Standard, posted 8/11/08. "The Klamath River is predicted to be full of salmon this fall." (KBC NOTE: wait, the Klamath River Tribes and environmentalists said the dams are causing the salmon to go "extinct", the dams are "genocide" for the tribes, thus the dams must be destroyed.)

 

Salmon catch eased on two rivers (Klamath and Trinity), SacBee, posted 7/28/08. "The action is possible because fish runs on those rivers are strong this year."

Klamath allocation of chinook looks good, Triplicate 7/11/08. "Larry Hanson, a senior biologist with California Department of Fish and Game, speaking from his office in Redding. 'This is the second-largest (fishing) allocation on the Klamath in the last 30 years....The commission has approved a catch allotment of 22,500 fall chinook salmon, and 11,250 of those would go to sport anglers in the Klamath below Weitchipec. The Klamath above Weitchipec is allowed about 3,800 salmon, and the upper and lower segments of the Trinity River will each get about 3,700 fish. The tribal allocation will be 27,000 salmon.' " KBC NOTE: Huh? According to 26 groups supporting downsizing ag and dam removal, including tribal leaders, enviros, and gov't agencies, the dams and algae and farmers and commercial fishermen have killed most all the fish on the Klamath, driving them to extinction. What's this "2nd largest fishing allocation" all about?????

 

Oregon approves $1 million allocation to help fishermen, Daily Astorian, posted 6/30/08

 

Governors of California, Oregon and Washington Urge President Bush to Provide Critical Funding to Fishing Families and Businesses, posted 6/27/08, Letter by Governors to President Bush.

 

Feedback: BiOp Challenge And Best Available Science, CB Bulletin 6/27/08. "So the radical environmental groups are suing once again to prevent the Federal dam operators from using the best available science to protect the Columbia River salmon. Between them and Judge Redden, they are the second most deadly force to the salmon in the region. Only the predacious birds, fish, seals, and sea lions kill more juvenile salmon each year."

 

Tribes Start Commercial Chinook, Steelhead Fishery And Direct Sales To Public, Columbia Basin Bulletin 6/20/08. "Sales are cash only."

 

Salmon Fishing Opens On Upper Salmon River First Time In 30 Years, CB Bulletin 6/20/08

 

Klamath allocation of chinook looks good, Triplicate 7/11/08. "Larry Hanson, a senior biologist with California Department of Fish and Game, speaking from his office in Redding. 'This is the second-largest (fishing) allocation on the Klamath in the last 30 years....The commission has approved a catch allotment of 22,500 fall chinook salmon, and 11,250 of those would go to sport anglers in the Klamath below Weitchipec. The Klamath above Weitchipec is allowed about 3,800 salmon, and the upper and lower segments of the Trinity River will each get about 3,700 fish. The tribal allocation will be 27,000 salmon.' " KBC NOTE: Huh? According to 26 groups supporting downsizing ag and dam removal, including tribal leaders, enviros, and gov't agencies, the dams and algae and farmers and commercial fishermen have killed most all the fish on the Klamath, driving them to extinction. What's this "2nd largest fishing allocation" all about?????

 

Lawmakers from Western states protest proposed $70 million cut, H&N, 6/12/08.(Farm Bill $ for fishermen)

NOAA plans to implement annual catch limits to stem overfishing, Eureka Reporter, posted to KBC 6/9/08

 

County decides to postpone ramp repair, May 31, 2008 by Nicholas Grube, Daily Triplicate: "They are actually looking forward to this season to get out of debt," Crandall said of some Klamath area business owners. "They've been handed a tremendous opportunity that nobody else in California has—fish, they got fish."

 

ODFW to blame for salmon decline, Myrtle Point , posted to KBC 5/31/08, Coos Bay World. "Now they are ... starting at 1 million in 1996 trickling down to 640,00 this past year. You could have at least 1 million smolt every year. Now ODFW wants 200,000 of these smolts ventral fin clipped. This is proven to equate a 20-percent morality rate. These people do not seem to care how many of the fish are killed."

 

New BiOp Based On Best Science And Better Collaboration, Say Feds, NW Fishletter, posted to KBC 5/30/08

Low West Coast salmon returns; why the variations, CB Bulletin, posted to KBC 5/20/08. "In 2005 a southward shift in the jet stream, delayed favorable winds and upwelling for the California Current, which normally begins in spring. The winds instead arrived in mid-July, causing high surface water temperatures and very low nutrient production within the nearshore marine ecosystem."

Salmon Population Declines In California, West Coast, Science Daily, posted to KBC 5/20/08. "Both hatchery and naturally produced fish have been negatively affected, and returns of coastal stocks in Oregon, in the Columbia River, and in British Columbia were all low in 2007. The decline seems to be a coastwide phenomenon, probably related to ocean conditions."

Salmon closure hits Winchester Bay hard, Oregonian, posted to KBC 5/13/08

 

Out-of-court agreement reached in sea lion case, posted 5/7/08. "The Humane Society of the United States has reached agreement with state and federal governments that blocks killing or permanent removal of sea lions in the Columbia River until early 2009."

Pinniped numbers below Bonneville hit new record; reported sightings above dam, CB Bulletin, posted 5/7/08. "From Jan. 11 through April 20 researchers have seen sea lions consume 1,791 chinook and 258 steelhead, with the peaks of the upriver run likely yet to arrive. Another 541 unidentified fish have been taken below the dam."

Oregon, Washington get nod to kill sea lions at Bonneville Dam, Oregonian, posted to KBC 3/20/08. "Federal fisheries managers are giving the go-ahead today for Oregon and Washington officials to trap and, if necessary, kill sea lions that wolf down thousands of salmon at Bonneville Dam every year."

 

Feds' fish aid plans pending; Headlight-Herald Staff 5/6/08. "If the $500,000 in aid to be distributed by Gov. Ted Kulongoski's office didn't sound like much to Oregon salmon fishers who have been left without a season, the figure $45 million may be more appealing."

 

Commerce Secretary Declares West Coast Fishery Failure; Opens Door for Disaster Relief. May 02, 2008, Columbia Basin FWS Bulletin

 

Salmon closure worst in history, H&N 5/2/08. "Spain, who helped negotiate the proposed Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement, said the West Coast closure is not related to ongoing fisheries problems in the Klamath River Basin." (KBC NOTE: This article quotes Glen Spain, PCFFA spokesman and Eugene attorney. Spain has initiated numerous lawsuits against Klamath irrigators...)

 

Council OKs salmon fishing on Klamath; DFG vote next, The Record-Stockton, 4/30/08. "But Chinook salmon fishing on the Klamath River will be open as usual, with a larger than normal quota (22,500 fish) allocated for the 2008 season. The Klamath Tribal allocation is 27,000 fish." (KBC NOTE: Fishing in the Pacific Ocean is shut down this season decimating the fishing industry and economies, Tribes want the Klamath dams out because they say it is causing the fish to go extinct, and the fish run on the Klamath is exceptional...?)
Foes of dams to confront Buffet again, Times-Standard posted 4/30/08
Salmon ban takes toll in Fort Bragg, Modesto Bee, posted 4/30/08

 

Looters Limit Out on BPA Salmon Dollars, James Buchal, posted to KBC 4/30/08
 

ODFW to Study Reintroduction of Salmon into Upper Klamath Basin, Columbia Basin Bulletin 4/18/08

 

Judge: harm to salmon justifies Columbia River sea lion removal, 4/18/07, Columbia Basin Bulletin.

 

Schwarzenegger commended for quick response to fisheries closure, Eureka Reporter, posted to KBC 4/13/08. (KBC Question for anyone who knows: Is any money going to the PEOPLE and communities being devastated by the closure, or is it only going to "restoration projects?")

 

ODFW announces limited ocean coho salmon season, ODFW, posted to KBC 4/13/08

 

Toxins found in Klamath fish, Study commissioned by (Karuk) tribe on river finds risk to public health, H&N, posted to KBC 4/13/08. Craig Tucker, Karuk spokesman, was previously activist with 'Friends of the River', an international dam removal group, and presently 'Riverkeeper.' Karuks along with Bobby Kennedy, President of Waterkeepers, filed a lawsuit against PacifiCorp to get the dams removed because of algae. A quote from Tucker 7/4/07: "It would be worth better understanding what they could to address the algae problem. But note that our push for dam removal comes with or without the algae as the dams remain a barrier to the recovery of salmon even if the human health threat of the toxic algae blooms were addressed." S. Craig Tucker, Ph.D., Klamath Campaign Coordinator, Karuk Tribe of California

Chinook season closed, The World Link, posted 4/13/08

KBC NOTE: Sea lions each kill several salmon per day. Sea lions have an unlimited salmon season.

Sea lion removals postponed to await looming court decisions, CBB, posted 4/13/08. "Last year an estimated 80 California sea lions made the 145-mile quest to the dam. Observers documented a sea lion "take" of 4.2 percent of the salmonid run in the waters immediately below the dam. Those fish include five salmon and steelhead stocks that are listed under the Endangered Species Act."
Followed by, Hazing not reducing sea lions' salmon catch."California sea lions were the primary predator of adult salmonids in the Bonneville Dam tailrace, accounting for 99.0 percent of the 8,946 observed adult salmonid catches over the recent three-year period, and 99.8 percent of the 4,957 observed chinook salmon catches...White sturgeon was the most commonly observed prey item for Steller sea lions, which made 97.8 percent of the 626 observed sturgeon catches since 2002."

Salmon fishing closure prompts Schwarzenegger to declare emergency, Sacramento Bee, posted 4/13/08

Alaska Cuts Chinook Quota Nearly 50 Percent, NW Fishletter #245, posted April 13, 2008. " it is widely recognized that unfavorable ocean conditions in 2005 and 2006 likely were a significant cause of the poor survival of chinook in the early part of their four- to five-year life-cycle, Some of these ocean conditions have moderated substantially and appear to be returning to a status more favorable to salmon populations."

Dr. Moyle, cited in Dan Bacher's article, "Peter Moyle's Commentary on Central Valley Chinook Salmon Decline" would like us all to believe that ocean conditions play a small role in today's salmon decline, note and links by Joseph Greene, EPA retired scientist, posted 4/13/08
Peter Moyle's Commentary on Central Valley Chinook Salmon Decline, Indy Bay, posted to KBC 4/13/08
2008 salmon forecast predicts 18th largest harvest since 1960, Alaska Journal of Commerce, posted 4/13/08."The total harvest is expected to include 672,000 Chinook salmon, 47.1 million sockeye salmon, 4.4 million coho salmon, 66 million pink salmon and 18.7 million chum."
Climate, Uncertainty and the Pacific Salmon Treaty: Insights on the Harvest Management Game, Miller et al, posted 4/13/08

 

Kruse: Salmon Run failures in 1997-1998, A link to Anamalous Ocean Conditions, posted to KBC 4/13/08

 

Agreements propose $980.5 million for projects; support for feds' salmon strategy, CBB, posted 4/13/08

 

Ocean conditions: do Columbia and Alaska chinook go to the same place? posted April 13, 2008, Columbia Basin Bulletin. "Blame for declining runs of Pacific Northwest salmon has been cast broadly: habitat loss from logging and development, an abundance of predatory sea lions, power-generating dams, terns and other coastal birds that prey on juvenile fish, and over-fishing by commercial and sport fishermen. But no factor is more critical to salmon prosperity than ocean conditions, experts say..."

 

Researchers hope to continue "River of Origin" salmon study, CBB, posted 4/13/08

Off the hook: Salmon fishing ban OK’d, Central Valley Business Times 4/10/08

Salmon fleets seek political help, The World, Coos Bay 4/10/08

Don’t take away my fishing hole, H&N 4/1/08. "If algae in the Klamath River is a problem caused by the PacifiCorp dam system, then please explain the source of the algae blooms in Lake of the Woods, Fish Lake, Hyatt Lake, and all the other fishing sources in the area."

$48 million requested for Basin, Rep. Greg Walden asks for money to research salmon disease in the Klamath River, projects at OIT, H&N 4/1/07
 

Klamath could be bright spot in a dark salmon fishing year, Times-Standard, 3/30/08.

 

The formula for allotting salmon, The Daily Triplicate 3/29/08

 

Oregon, Washington get nod to kill sea lions at Bonneville Dam, Oregonian, posted to KBC 3/20/08

 

Proposal calls for no Chinook season in OR/CAL, Coos Bay World Link, posted 3/16/08, followed by: Options set for salmon season

Low California salmon runs prompt coastal fishing closures, CB Bulletin, posted to KBC 3/16/08

Critical salmon situation calls for creativity, The World Link 3/16/08

What's happening in the ocean affects salmon the most, Modesto Bee, posted to KBC 3/11/08

 

NOAA research linking sea temperature swings to salmon return numbers, posted to KBC 3/9/08

 

Avoiding a salmon calamity, Contra Costa Times, 3/9/08. "So far, most of the blame for the salmon's collapse has been placed on ocean conditions. Specifically, the Pacific Ocean in 2002 entered a warm phase that delays the onset of current "upwelling" off the West Coast and starves the marine ecosystem of nutrients and food." (KBC NOTE: In 2002 there was a fish die-off of a bumper crop of Trinity River fish blamed entirely on Klamath Project irrigators hundreds of miles away. That spin is partly what "science" the tribes and enviros and PCFFA are using to rip out four Klamath hydro dams and confiscate thousands of acres of farmland in the 'Klamath Settlement'.)

 

Salmon fishermen: Outlook seems grim, but let's talk, The World News 3/5/08

 

Ocean blamed for salmon decline, The World News, posted 3/5/08

What is behind the salmon decline?, San Francisco Chronicle, posted 3/1/08

Managers float warning of "disaster" for 2008 Pacific salmon season, Eureka Reporter, posted 3/1/08