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Conservationists and Congress blast Bush Administration for huge Klamath salmon die-off

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2002

Contact: Ryan Henson, 530-474-4808

DAVIS, September 26, 2002 - An estimated 30,000 chinook salmon have washed up dead in the Klamath River because Interior Secretary Gale Norton diverted river water to farmers against the recommendations of the government's own fisheries scientists.

In addition to the chinook or "king" salmon weighing up to 50 pounds, endangered coho salmon and steelhead trout are also dying due to high water temperatures and disease caused by the low water flow.

"Gale Norton is directly responsible for this disaster," said Keith Hammond of the California Wilderness Coalition, which earlier named the Klamath River Basin one of California's 10 most threatened wild places in 2002. The coalition represents some 3,000 members and 200 conservation groups. "Norton diverted Klamath water far below the minimum flow her own scientists recommended to save endangered coho salmon. Instead she favored some potato farmers inside a National Wildlife Refuge, if you can believe that - at the expense of California's salmon fisheries and endangered species."

"These dead fish represent thousands of jobs, millions of dollars and priceless resources that are being destroyed due to this administration's failures in the Klamath Basin," said Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA) who represents the lower Klamath and downstream communities. "We are only four months into their 10-year water plan and thousands of fish are already floating to the top of the Klamath River. This massive fish kill will only get worse if the Department of Interior continues to ignore the downstream fishing, tribal and working communities of the lower Klamath Basin."

Congressman Thompson is now working with county and state officials to have the Klamath River area declared a national disaster area.

Tens of thousands of adult fish are dying before they can reach spawning grounds upstream. Many are being killed by "gill rot," a disease spread quickly by the hot crowded conditions brought on by extremely low river flows. Preliminary surveys by conservation groups and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimate the dead fish at up to 30,000 already.

Secretary Norton earlier this year overruled previous agency decisions and instituted a 10-year plan to manage Klamath River flows at levels below the minimum recommended by the National Marine Fisheries Service scientists to protect endangered salmon.

Founded in 1976, the California Wilderness Coalition defends the pristine landscapes that make California unique, provide a home to our wildlife, and preserve a place for spiritual renewal.