Darrell Ticehurst/Fisheries Issues
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Salmon Problems Continue
Sep. 14 2009, 10:52 AM
Sep. 14 2009, 10:52 AM
Salmon Problems Continue
"The key spawning grounds for what was once the greatest run of salmon on the North Coast are close to being as dry as they have ever been, according to biologists and the U.S. Geological Survey." The San Francisco Chronicle this weekend ran an article talking about the fact that both the Scott and Shasta Rivers are virtually dry, stranding the salmon smolts in small ponds and putting future salmon seasons in doubt once again.
"The key spawning grounds for what was once the greatest run of salmon on the North Coast are close to being as dry as they have ever been, according to biologists and the U.S. Geological Survey." The San Francisco Chronicle this weekend ran an article talking about the fact that both the Scott and Shasta Rivers are virtually dry, stranding the salmon smolts in small ponds and putting future salmon seasons in doubt once again.
And this problem is one that affects us all, not just a few North Coast anglers. The fact is that he Scott and Shasta are key tributaries of the Klamath River and two of the major spawning rivers in that drainage. And the Klamath salmon that make it to the ocean mix with the Central Valley runs, both populations feeding and traveling together for much of their ocean life. Catch a salmon off California, or even up into Oregon and Washington, and it could be a fish from either drainage. The last time the Klamath had a problem, in 2005, the commercials were severely restricted because they couldn’t catch just Central Valley fish, they were going to impact the Klamath returning stocks as well. And this latest closure the past two years was for the opposite reason, our Central Valley stocks were in trouble and the Klamath stocks were OK to fish, but both recreational and commercial seasons had to be closed because there was no selective fishing possible.
So with the Scott and Shasta rivers drying up we can anticipate a problem in 2012 when those fish would be due to return. If there are not enough of them, then we can easily see the entire coast closed to salmon fishing again.
Yes, all of these problems could be cured if the agricultural industry didn’t waste so much water. But they find it cheaper to pay lobbyists in Sacramento and DC to keep the subsidized water spigot turned on, than to switch from water intensive crops, like cotton and rice and alfalfa, to those that use less water like corn and wheat. Or to use modern irrigation techniques that could save even more water. Sometimes I despair of our political system that wants to put in a peripheral canal to ship even more water to Central Valley ag instead of doing what they should have done a long time ago, stop subsidizing those water wasters! We are really lucky that this past state legislative session didn’t pass a water bill before adjourning. In its present form it would kill our salmon fishing forever. And the governor is still saying he won’t sign any bills until this water bill comes to him! If it does we are really in trouble.
So with the Scott and Shasta rivers drying up we can anticipate a problem in 2012 when those fish would be due to return. If there are not enough of them, then we can easily see the entire coast closed to salmon fishing again.
Yes, all of these problems could be cured if the agricultural industry didn’t waste so much water. But they find it cheaper to pay lobbyists in Sacramento and DC to keep the subsidized water spigot turned on, than to switch from water intensive crops, like cotton and rice and alfalfa, to those that use less water like corn and wheat. Or to use modern irrigation techniques that could save even more water. Sometimes I despair of our political system that wants to put in a peripheral canal to ship even more water to Central Valley ag instead of doing what they should have done a long time ago, stop subsidizing those water wasters! We are really lucky that this past state legislative session didn’t pass a water bill before adjourning. In its present form it would kill our salmon fishing forever. And the governor is still saying he won’t sign any bills until this water bill comes to him! If it does we are really in trouble.
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