chinook could get endangered species listing klamath 041411

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Chinook salmon could get endangered species protection

Petition passes; year-long review process begins

Public Comment information at bottom of page, due June 13

by SARA HOTTMAN, Herald and News 4/13/11

AP file photo Several environmental groups have petitioned

to list the chinook salmon in the Klamath River as an endangered species.

A petition to list chinook salmon in the Klamath and Trinity rivers under endangered species protection has passed an initial assessment and progressed to a year-long review process that could result in another biological opinion for the Klamath River.

In January, four environmental groups — Oregon Wild, Center for Biological Diversity, Environmental Protection Information Center, and the Larch Company — filed a petition that asserts dams, water withdraws, logging, hatcheries, disease and climate change have left chinook salmon at “immediate risk of extinction.”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Service determined the petition “contained substantial scientific information that warrants federal review,” said Jim Milbury, public affairs specialist with NOAA.

Now NOAA scientists will review the petition and decide if the salmon should be listed as threatened or endangered, Milbury said. The deadline is Jan. 28, 2012.

Environmental groups are asking for protection at least for spring-run chinook salmon, which migrate to the Klamath River from the Pacific Ocean during April and June each year.

But some local irrigators don’t think the fish should be listed.

“We don’t think a listing is warranted … and will be pretty engaged in trying to add information into the record,” said Greg Addington, director of the Klamath Water Users Association, which represents irrigators on the Klamath Reclamation Project.

Listing species

Once a fish is protected under the Endangered Species Act, it cannot be hunted and its habitat is protected by a federal agency.

Coho salmon in the Klamath River have been protected under the ESA since 2005, when they were listed as threatened. Their habitat was designated as critical in 1999.

Since then a biological opinion enforced by the National Marine Fisheries Service has protected their habitat, most recently by requiring certain flow patterns created by releasing water from Upper Klamath Lake — also a source of irrigation water for area farmers.

“The bottom line is we don’t see a listing as a solution to dealing with (environmental) issues,” Addington said. “Whether chinook, coho or suckers … we’ve decided to take a collaborative approach to solutions.”

The Bureau of Reclamation doesn’t know how another biological opinion might affect water users on the Klamath Reclamation Project, said Kevin Moore, public affairs specialist for the Bureau. “We wouldn’t study something like that until it becomes official,” he said.

Addington said KWUA isn’t certain how a chinook listing could affect irrigators. “But the concern is always, what is this going to mean from a flow standpoint in the river?” he said. “It’s not just the implications for the Project, but also for the lake, the refuges. It’s far-reaching.”

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http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/news/x90879650/Agency-will-examine-Klamath-Chinook-listing

Agency will examine Klamath Chinook listing

by David Smith, Siskiyou Daily News 4/13/11

Yreka, Calif. — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is expecting to have a decision as to whether or not Klamath River Chinook salmon will be listed as endangered or threatened approximately one year from the date that groups filed for the species’ listing, according to a recent press release.

The groups, including The Center for Biological Diversity, Oregon Wild, the Environmental Protection Information Center Center and the Larch Company, submitted their petition in January, suggesting that the spring-run Chinook salmon on the Klamath be listed due to low numbers cited in National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) data. The Larch Company is described by owner Andy Kerr as “a for-profit, non-membership conservation organization that represents species who cannot talk and the human generations to come” on the company’s website.

Along with the request for listing, the petitioning groups also asked that critical habitat be designated for the Chinook both in the Klamath and Trinity rivers.

According to the listing in the Federal Register, NMFS found that the petition “presents substantial scientific information indicating the petitioned actions may be warranted.”

NMFS will now conduct a status review of the Chinook salmon in the Upper Klamath and Trinity basins, according to the register, and will be accepting comments from the public until June 13.

It is noted in the register entry that in 1998, NMFS conducted a review of both the spring-run and fall-run Chinook populations as one unit, concluding that a listing was not necessary under the Endangered Species Act. The petitioners have asked that that finding be revisited, suggesting that NMFS consider spring-run Chinook as an individual unit in determining listing status.

Calling for information from all interested parties, NMFS is soliciting on numerous aspects of Chinook life, including historic and current distribution, presence and abundance of the species throughout its range; current and historic life history traits of spring- and fall-run populations; current and historic habitat conditions; population status and trends; genetic structure for both populations; reproductive isolation of each population; and information on any current or planned activities that may adversely impact the species. The agency is also requesting information on potential critical habitat areas.

The register states that information can be sent electronically or by mail, identified by RIN 0648-XA272. Electronically, comments can be submitted at the Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov. By mail or hand-delivery, comments can be sent to Assistant Regional Administrator, Protected Resources Division, Attn: Rosalie del Rosario, National Marine Fisheries Service, 501 West Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long Beach, CA 90802-4213.

The register states that all comments are expected to be posted to www.regulations.gov shortly after receipt.

– David Smith can be reached at dsmith@siskiyoudaily.com