The Scott River Water Trust announced in a news release this week that its efforts to secure over 400 acre-feet of water in early October from Scott Valley ranchers have helped Chinook salmon migrate up one of the Klamath River's most important salmon and steelhead tributaries. Full article at: http://tinyurl.com/ykm56q4
A draft plan to remove four aging dams along the Klamath River in Oregon and California was released Wednesday, a long-awaited step toward ending a protracted dispute over the waterway. The federal government has often played the unhappy role of referee. In 2002, environmentalists asserted that a significant die-off of fish had resulted from a diversion of water to farmers that was ordered by the Interior Department. Four years later, fishermen complained when low levels of salmon in the river led to government restrictions on commercial fishing. Story at: http://tinyurl.com/yzt98cb
Please review the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) initiative under CA Public Resources Code, Sections 36602 and 36710.
http://law.justia.com/california/codes/prc/36700-36900.html
There is concern that if the entire California coastline is made into a state marine reserve it may violate Tribal sovereign rights to gather traditional foods for subsistence.
The troubles on the Klamath River are much older than the 2002 fish kill, and they continue to this day. But seven years ago, when as many as 70,000 Chinook and coho washed up dead on the banks of the river, a desperate new sense of urgency was born in the public consciousness. For the first time, it seemed possible that California's second most productive salmon fishery could turn completely barren, and that it could happen soon. And in the intervening years, in fact, commercial salmon fishing has shriveled, banned entirely for some years due to a lack of fish. The river has seen numerous other mass die-offs, mostly of juvenile salmon, since the 2002 crisis.
Full Article at: northcoastjournal.com