Fish die-off not so easy to explain.Byline: SUE ELLEN WOOLDRIDGE
Sue Ellen Wooldridge (b. February 15, 1961), is an American attorney and a former politically appointed U.S. government employee. For The Register-Guard THE REGISTER-GUARD'S Nov. 12 editorial, "Why the salmon died: Pattern points to Bush administration policies," continues the simplistic sim·plism n. The tendency to oversimplify an issue or a problem by ignoring complexities or complications. [French simplisme, from simple, simple, from Old French; see simple farmers vs. fish battle cry that not only misrepresents the essential nature of the challenge facing us in the Klamath Basin The Klamath Basin is the region in the U.S. states of Oregon and California drained by the Klamath River. It contains most of Klamath County and parts of Lake and Jackson Counties in Oregon, and parts of Del Norte, Humboldt, Modoc, Siskiyou, and Trinity Counties in California. , but also does a disservice to communities that rely for their livelihood on the basin's lakes and rivers. The complex and dynamic Klamath situation cannot be understood through a one-dimensional analysis. Unfortunately, the editorial also reflects a misunderstanding of how the Endangered Species Act The federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) (16 U.S.C.A. §§ 1531 et seq.) was enacted to protect animal and plant species from extinction by preserving the ecosystems in which they survive and by providing programs for their conservation. works and, more importantly, conveniently fails to mention facts that could help readers put the issue in perspective. There is no clear understanding, as yet, of what caused the salmon die-off in the Lower Klamath River Klamath River River, southern Oregon and northwestern California, U.S. Rising in Upper Klamath Lake just above Klamath Falls, Ore., it flows south and southwest for 250 mi (400 km) through the Klamath Mountains in California and empties into the Pacific Ocean. in September. Many federal and state scientists are working hard to determine the causes, which are likely to be several. With regard to the editorial's specific charges, it is relevant to note that the water temperatures on the Lower Klamath, though high, were not unusual for this time of year. Moreover, in three of the past 11 years (1991, 1992 and 1994), average daily flows during September at the mouth of the Klamath River near where the die-off occurred - 180 miles downstream from the Klamath Project - were lower than this year; yet we did not see a similar level of fish mortality in those years. Significantly, despite the continuing drought and the unfortunate salmon die-off, this year saw the third largest salmon run The salmon run is the time at which salmon swim back up the rivers in which they were born to spawn. Pacific salmon spawn and then die, while Atlantic salmon winter over in deep spots in the river and try to return to the sea to recover in the spring and return to spawn again in returning to Iron Gate Hatchery hatchery a commercial establishment dedicated to the hatching of bird eggs to provide day old chicks and poults to the poultry industry. hatchery liquid the contents of unfertilized eggs. Used in petfood manufacture. on the Klamath River in the past 30 years. There are numerous tributaries to the Klamath River system that determine overall levels in the mainstem where the die-off occurred, and many other users of the water than those in the Bureau of Reclamation project. Furthermore, the current biological opinions guiding water allocation require us to maintain certain water levels in lakes upstream of the project to sustain two species of endangered sucker fish See See also: Sucker that are given Endangered Species Act protection and are culturally important to another Native American tribe. In obtaining these biological opinions, the Department of the Interior followed all required steps and formal processes prescribed by the Endangered Species Act. All scientific findings and points of view were considered and evaluated in developing this year's water allocation plan. We even asked the National Academy of Science's National Research Council - the top scientists in the nation - to review pertinent data and were guided by their findings, including their conclusion that there was no valid scientific basis for withholding water from Klamath Project farmers in 2001. In the name of fairness and responsibility, we urge those who opine on this issue to avoid selective recitation rec·i·ta·tion n. 1. a. The act of reciting memorized materials in a public performance. b. The material so presented. 2. a. Oral delivery of prepared lessons by a pupil. b. of facts to support simplistic conclusions. These matters are too important to all of the affected parties to omit facts demonstrating the complexity of the problems they face. Sue Ellen Wooldridge is deputy chief of staff and counselor to the secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior. |
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