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Herald and News: Klamath Falls, Oregon http://www.heraldandnews.com/articles/2003/09/12/news/community_news/cit1.txt Tribes chairman: Suckers still in danger Foreman Published September 12, 2003 By LEE JUILLERAT Allen Foreman, chairman of the Klamath Tribes, is critical of a U.S. District Court opinion issued earlier this month about possibly delisting two species of sucker found in the Klamath Basin. U.S. District Court Judge Robert Jones on Sept. 4 published his opinion requiring the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to reconsider a petition to delist, under the Endangered Species Act, two species of fish known to the Klamath Tribes as c'waam and qapdo, and to non-Indians as Lost River and shortnose suckers. "We know the Klamath suckers are still in serious trouble," Foreman said. "Some people will raise the false hope that the fish are recovering without essential habitat and water quality improvements. Such a miracle would be welcome, but it's just not going to happen, and Judge Jones did not say it's happening. "The decision is purely on a procedural point under the ESA, and it does not change the fact that the fish are on the edge of extinction." Jones' opinion instructs the Service to either reconsider its decision not to grant the petition to delist the fish, or to proceed with formal delisting processes. "In either event, the protections provided by the Endangered Species Act are necessary and must continue," Foreman said. "That is the law and that is what is necessary to avoid extinction of this important resource." Foreman said he remembers when the fish were commonly found in abundant numbers. "When I was a boy, you could see suckers by the thousands swimming upriver to spawn. The fish used to be so abundant that the Tribes harvested thousands of pounds without diminishing the runs. Now, most young tribal members have never seen c'wam or qapdo in the wild. They see only the two fish we take for ceremonial purposes each year," he said. "This is another example of the need for a better management process for Klamath Basin resources. Continuing confusion over the need for protection and the extent of protection is doing nobody any good." The Klamath Tribes' sucker fishery has been closed for 17 years. The Tribes closed their fishery in 1986 because of population declines. The fish were listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1988. Foreman said pollution from agricultural run-off into Upper Klamath Lake and its tributaries, along with agricultural withdrawals from the lake and streams, contributed to the decline. Regional Editor Lee Juillerat covers Lake, Siskiyou, Modoc and northern Klamath counties. He can be reached at 885-4421, (800) 275-0982, or by e-mail at lee@heraldandnews.com. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, any copyrighted material  herein is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed  a  prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and  educational purposes only. For more information go to:  http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml

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