Published May 20, 2004

By DYLAN DARLING

Millions of hatchery-produced chinook salmon fingerlings are set to start their swim to the Pacific Ocean down the Klamath River.

But Bureau of Reclamation officials are asking if some of the salmon can wait until fall to swim.

The California Department of Fish and Game planned to release a million of the tiny fall-run salmon into the river from the Iron Gate Fish Hatchery today. Another million are set to swim on May 24 and another 3 million on May 31.

On May 13, the Department released its first million fingerlings. The fingerlings are ready for release when about 90 of them weigh about a pound together, said Mike Rode, staff environmental scientist for the department.

The state hoped to release the salmon soon because flows in the Klamath River will be sharply curtailed in June, Rode said.

The river flows will be less than expected because of a change in the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's water year type for the river because of a drop in inflow to Upper Klamath Lake. The Bureau regulates how much water goes down the river by guiding PacifiCorp's management of its Klamath hydroelectric project dams.

Dave Sabo, manager of the Klamath Reclamation Project, said he was in discussions with the department this morning about the possibility of holding a million of the salmon back until next fall and letting loose the ones that are released farther down in the river.

"But we didn't get an answer from them," he said.

The Bureau offered to pay $65,000 for the holding of the salmon until fall. Bureau officials are waiting for a response and should get it today, Sabo said.

Reports of a disease spreading among salmon between I-5 and the Scott and Shasta rivers, prompted the request for a lower release spot.

Concerned about the release of the salmon, the Klamath Water Users Association wrote a letter to the department's regional manager.

In it, the water users ask a number of questions about how the department manages the salmon and suggests that the department coordinate its releases with the Bureau's flows.

Dan Keppen, water users executive director, said the water users are concerned about the releases because when things go wrong with salmon on the river, the Klamath Reclamation Project and its irrigators usually get the blame.

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