Chipping away at the Endangered Species Act

New Rule on Endangered Species in the Southwest - New York Times

This article in the New York Times is an example of the ongoing effort to chip away at the Endangered Species Act, a priority for some GOP members of Congress and certain factions in the Interior Department.

The example here takes place in the Southwestern U.S., but it builds on a ruling in Oregon regarding the endangered Coho salmon. The gist of the Oregon ruling, made by a judge, not a scientist, was that there was not much difference genetically between wild and hatchery raised salmon, so they all should be counted together. Every scientist I've talked to about this is outraged, usually after they stop shaking their head and laughing at the lack of sense in the ruling.

Once again, these issues are covered extensively in the documentary, where I talk to fishery biologists, government officials and environmentalists. I also covered a Congressional hearing about the Endangered Species Act last summer that took place in Klamath Falls, OR. An interesting event.

Lots of rain lately in the Upper Klamath Basin ...

Could mean some relief for the irrigation season and downstream flows.

Members of Congress seek disaster relief for fishermen.

Fort Bragg Fishing Fleet

Mike Thompson, the Congressman for the North coast of California and a critic of the federal government's role in the Klamath water diputes, is pushing for diaster relief to help the commercial fishermen and the lower river Indian tribes. He's also a character in the documentary, and speaks forcefully not only about the damage to the Yurok tribe's fishery, but also the economic impact on small businesses throughout the northern California coastal region.

Democrats seek disaster declaration over salmon restrictions

NPR takes a look at the Upper Klamath Basin

Here's a NPR report on the drought problems in the Upper Klamath Basin this Spring. Farmers are skittish because of the dry winter and the threat of another water curtailment similar to what took place in 2001.

The Bureau of Reclamation guy who's quoted in the story, Dave Sabo, and the farmer Steve Kandra, are both characters in the documentary.

More issues for commercial fishermen in CA

Salmon fishery protections unnerve commercial fishermen.

Consequences from both the 2002 fish kill and the die-off of juveniles heading out to sea. Zeke Grader, a chracter in the documentary, predicted this when I interviewed him almost a year ago.