April 01, 2006
4/2 - Mammoth Klamath Conflict: Fisheries history in the making
It's a sad and complex tale that continues to unfold this week. Sad enough that a lot of environmentalists are at least partially siding with the fishermen. The diversion of water in the Klamath River, Oregon, to feed agricultural interests in September of 2002 left 50,000 to 70,000 salmon rotting along the river. Now, a few years later, the size of the returning salmon population has shown a predictable catastrophic drop. As our buddy Rod Fujita of Environmental Defense in Oakland is quoted in the San Jose Mercury News, "Overfishing is not the problem. It's under-watering of the river."
NOAA is considering closing the $150 million salmon season to help the stocks recover. The impact would be huge. The members of Coastside Fishing Club are organizing a rally on Tuesday morning, April 4, in Sacramento.
Salmon Catastrophe: what happened when Klamath River water was diverted for agriculture in 2002