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Young salmon dying on Klamath
The Times-Standard ^ | 06/19/03 | John Driscoll

Posted on 06/19/2003 12:47:20 PM PDT by bedolido

Salmon fry have begun showing up dead in fish traps on the Klamath River, worrying some biologists about the possibility of a repeat of a huge juvenile fish kill in June 2000.

Biologists have found 100 dead chinook salmon in monitoring traps near Big Bar and in pools near Happy Camp. They appear to have succumbed to one of the diseases that claimed 34,000 adult salmon last fall.

The information was presented to the Klamath River Basin Fisheries Task Force meeting at the North Coast Inn in Arcata on Wednesday. Fisheries consultant Ronnie Pierce said the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation flow schedule for June, unless changed, could be setting up a repeat of the 2000 event, which killed an estimated 250,000 fry.

Reached by phone, bureau spokesman Jeff McCracken said the agency is aware of the fish deaths, which happened shortly after millions of fry were released from Iron Gate Hatchery. He said reporting agencies haven't expressed concern to the bureau at this point.

A recent change in operations will provide more water for fish in the late summer and fall, but little additional water was provided for late spring.

California Department of Fish and Game Senior Biologist Neil Manji said the department will set up a monitoring program.

"We want to continue the administrative record and document how the system is stressed to the max," Manji said.

Flows are nearly identical in the Klamath's tributaries to those in 2000. Flows from Iron Gate Dam are 160 cubic feet per second less than in 2000.

In the bureau's 2001 draft biological assessment of its operations, flow and temperature were found to be apparently related in the area of the fish kill.

Biologists on the river Wednesday were expected to give an update on the fish kill at a task force meeting today.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: environment; klamath; salmon; young
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To: farmfriend
You know what they say....Gotta ballance the facts with the desire to preserve...
21 posted on 06/20/2003 9:03:37 AM PDT by EBUCK (FIRE!....rounds downrange! http://www.azfire.org)
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To: EBUCK
You know what they say....Gotta ballance the facts with the desire to preserve...

That would require logic. We can't have any of that. We must decide these things based solely on feelings! Get with the program here. ;^)

22 posted on 06/20/2003 11:26:02 AM PDT by farmfriend ( Isaiah 55:10,11)
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To: farmfriend
There was a quote, that I can't find right now, detailing the conflict scientists are having reconciling and reporting facts that might detract from their enviral positions and goals.

Really wish I could find it.....
23 posted on 06/20/2003 11:52:25 AM PDT by EBUCK (FIRE!....rounds downrange! http://www.azfire.org)
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To: EBUCK
Really wish I could find it.....

That is the kind of thing that just bugs me. My family has learned, leave me alone until I find it or I will take your head off.

24 posted on 06/20/2003 2:14:22 PM PDT by farmfriend ( Isaiah 55:10,11)
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To: farmfriend; Grampa Dave
Here is our arch enemy in all their pinko worst...barf alert
25 posted on 06/20/2003 4:47:17 PM PDT by tubebender (FReepin Awesome...)
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To: hubel458
Check # 25
26 posted on 06/20/2003 4:52:36 PM PDT by tubebender (FReepin Awesome...)
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To: tubebender
Tube, I'm going to go ahead and post your link as a seprate thread. Thanks for the heads up.
27 posted on 06/20/2003 11:29:19 PM PDT by farmfriend ( Isaiah 55:10,11)
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To: bedolido
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ca/nwis/rt

The Scott has been running higher later in the season than I have seen it in years. It has begun to drop down. We had a great snowpack and it snowed later in the season. There is still snow on the mountain tops around the valley. The Scott is now at 599 cubic ft per second. The past 60 year median is around 410 for this time. (Minimum 12, mean 515.)

Iron Gate dam is currently at 1050 cu. ft./sec. The 41 year median is about 750. (Minimum 446, mean 936.) Shasta River is currently at 88 cu. ft/sec. Median is about 25, minimum 2.6 and mean 57.2 on 17 year records.

The article's allegations are rubbish.

It does seem that the fish kills are always down in the Klamath canyon regardless of flows. Tells me that the problem is down there and not flow related.
28 posted on 06/22/2003 10:47:11 PM PDT by marsh2
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