Commercial fishing took a massive blow this year with the virtual shutdown of salmon fishing along 700 miles of the West Coast. The Governors of California, Oregon and Washington have united in asking the Federal Government for aid for the fishermen.
Fishing was restricted to protect dwindling stocks inland, on the Klamath River. The river has suffered from drought and a proliferation of disease and parasites that attack the fish. Water temperature and flows have been adversely affected by ageing hydro-electric dams and diversions to agriculture (see our show in 2002 for more details).
The restrictions have hit coastal communities hard. Correspondent Craig Millers speaks with Dr. Moyle, an ecology expert at UC Davis, and asks why problems on the Klamath affect folk on the coast. He also talks to fishermen Duncan MacLean and John Henry Hull, who struggle to make a living.
- California Connected on the Klamath
- CA Department of Fish and Game, for more information about fishing restrictions
- Klamath Restoration Council, for information on the health of the Klamath River
- Pacific Coast Fishermen’s Association, for news from the commercial salmon fishing industry
- Klamath Basin Crisis, voices of Klamath Basin farmers, ranchers, miners, loggers and fishermen
- Save the Salmon, Free the Klamath River, Associate Producer Hal MacDermot’s “Newsroom” blog post on Klamath’s salmon crisis.
October 20th, 2006 at 9:15 pm
The commercial fisheries in Alaska control the amount by species, the sport fisherman are restricted yet the commercial have gone overboard in not keeping control of their own over fishing of certain species. I can feel sorry for the fisherman, but they will eventually fishout the Lobster, Crab and whatever hasn’t received protection until it’s too late.
October 20th, 2006 at 9:45 pm
I was voicing support for the fishermen and the poor salmon harvest in the Klamath. My agriculture supporting listeners (they had just seen a show featuring that side of the argument) said “phony argument, there are no salmon in the Klamath” to which I said “I rest my case.”
You could have heard a pin drop.
October 22nd, 2006 at 12:50 pm
Since the Klamath is the problem, the fishermen should work with the environmentalists to restore the river. In addition, the government should pay the fishermen to help clean up the river. In addition, organic farming should be made into law. Ranchers need to be held accountable for manure runoff. Everybody needs to work together with the environmentalists/scientists to ensure everyone (except the chemical companies) has a future.
April 20th, 2007 at 11:16 pm
Hi, I just wanted to voice my opinion on this story as I am an oregon native now living in california. I remember the fueds in klamouth with the farmers getting arrested for opening up the flood gates and everything. I find it weird that the government has put a hold on the fisherman and not fined the companies responsible for the water shortage. Also I just watched an episode of california Gold on pbs about a federal fish hatchery in shasta county that puts 300 million salmon a year in the river and want the fisherman to get a majority of them. Funny, don’t we only have one federal government? Well hope this gets to the fisherman mckinny maybee he can research it more through you.
April 22nd, 2007 at 1:48 pm
The health benefits of eating fresh fish, particularly wild salmon, are touted more and more these days, pushing the ramifications of this needless dilemma well beyond the awful situation faced by our family fisherman. Whether your “crop” is fish or fruit, good stewardship of land and water are the only way, in the long run, that this bounty will always be there for us. How is it that the power suppliers are not being legally forced to remedy the dam problems? Are the Klamath farmers being encouraged and assisted in implementing better water conservation techniques? Why aren’t there at least temporary subsidies for these family fishermen, as well as those family farmers who are trying to conserve and compromise? Salmon is one of my favorite foods, but I refuse to eat “fake” farm salmon. (Anything that is raised in its own feces and must be dyed to appear appetizing is not something I wish to consume). I have to wonder just how much monetary influence the power suppliers and big agibusiness (whether on land or water), have over the political powers-that-be, for them to so actively ignore, if not openly discourange any intelligent remedy to this disastrous and multi-fronted problem? If ever there was common ground for fisherman, farmer and consumer to work together, to develop mutual understanding and a sound solution, this is surely it. Hopefully, a meeting of the minds will come soon.