Yurok Tribe Praises New Study But Warns About Endangered Species Designation

KLAMATH RIVER – A recent published article on the Klamath River spring Chinook salmon is a welcome scientific support of something tribal officials have been preaching for years but, the Yurok Tribe is cautioning that petitioning for federally endangered designation is the wrong tactic.

Yesterday, a published article by researchers at U.C. Davis confirmed the genetic difference of spring and fall run Chinook salmon strains. Tribes up and down the North Coast have known this fact for years and have voluntarily limited their spring Chinook fishery harvest accordingly due to concerns over stocks in the Trinity and Salmon river watersheds. Additionally, the tribe is actively involved in large-scale habitat restoration to combat the decline.

For years they have pleaded with federal authorities to remove the four dams on the Klamath which devastate fish populations and compromise water quality. Re-introduction of the spring Chinook into its former range which is now cut off by the dams is essential for its survival and propagation.

While the Yurok Tribe supports the conservation of fish stocks throughout the Klamath basin, there is a concern about the impact of listing the spring Chinook on the endangered species list. Listings have often led to immediate restrictions to fisheries while taking substantially longer and sometimes never addressing at all the true factors that have led to the decline of the species in the first place.