THE COASTAL FISHERY CRISIS - Stop finger-pointing on the Klamath Basin

GREG ADDINGTON AND DAN KEPPEN

(This article is in response to, and followed by, the Oregonian editorial blaming dams and Klamath irrigators)

George Gibbs, traveling through Northern California in 1851, was struck by conditions at the confluence of the Klamath and Trinity rivers.

The Trinity, wrote Gibbs, "is in size about half that of the Klamath, and its waters, likewise rapid, are of transcendent purity; contrasting with those of the latter stream which never lost the taint of their origin."

The origin of the Klamath River is warm, shallow Upper Klamath Lake, which feeds the federal Klamath Irrigation Project. More than 150 years after Gibbs' visit, the Klamath River and the irrigation project are now in the sights of the national media and environmental activists. Every week, we read claims that the river and the coastal salmon fishery are being destroyed by the project, a convenient source of blame for all that is apparently tainted in the Klamath ecosystem.

What we don't see in the papers is the fact that, over the past four years, between 40,000 and 100,000 acre-feet of water originally developed for agriculture has instead been bought by the federal government and dedicated annually to an environmental water bank to "protect" fish. In 2005, nearly 30 percent of the water traditionally used in an average water year by the Klamath Project and wildlife refuges was reallocated in this manner.

Further, even though the Klamath Project is one of the most water-use efficient reclamation operations in the country, more than 800 growers have applied for 2002 Farm Bill funding to implement cost-share projects that conserve water.

These actions are laudable. However, one has to remember that there is only so much water that can be squeezed from an area that is just 2 percent of the watershed and uses only 3 percent to 4 percent of Klamath River flows in an average year.

Despite these efforts, irrigators are now being blamed in the media by environmental activists for a looming crisis on the coast. This spring, commercial salmon fishing has been closed along 700 miles of Pacific shoreline, which federal regulators believe will prevent "take" of Klamath River salmon. This very complicated issue is deftly and simply portrayed by faraway activists as " fishermen vs. farmers."

Once again, they've got it wrong.

Recently, a group of irrigator representatives traveled to Coos Bay and met with more than 50 coastal fishermen and political leaders. It was somewhat of a revelation that not a single fisherman at the meeting pointed to the Klamath Project as the cause for the fishery closure. Instead, they offered up other explanations, including:

·         Insufficient hatchery production and failure to count hatchery fish.

·         Disjointed stock management by state and federal agencies.

·         Sea lion predation.

·         Unfavorable ocean conditions and several years of drought.

The meeting ended in mutual pledges by the irrigators and the fishermen to work together. As a first step, the Klamath Relief Fund -- created to assist distressed farmers in 2001 -- has been re-activated by the Klamath farming community. This time, the money raised will be used to help fishermen and their families.

We're tired of the Klamath finger-pointing. Instead, we want to extend a helping hand.

Greg Addington is executive director of the Klamath Water Users Association. Dan Keppen is former executive director of the association and is now executive director of the Family Farm Alliance. They both live near Klamath Falls. You can donate to the Klamath Relief Fund for Commercial Fishermen at P.O. Box 5252, Klamath Falls, OR 97601.

The above article is in response to the following Oregonian editorial: