2002 Klamath River fish kill
{{Short description|2002 disaster in the United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2021}}
The 2002 Klamath River fish kill occurred on the Klamath River in California in September 2002. According to the official estimate of mortality, about 34,000 fish died. Though some counts may estimate over 70,000 adult chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) were killed when returning to the river to spawn,{{cite news |title=In Klamath Basin, politics trump science |author=Steve Pedery |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZF5WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=d_ADAAAAIBAJ&pg=4994,751693 |newspaper=The Register-Guard |date=July 5, 2007 |accessdate=May 25, 2011}} making it the largest salmon kill in the history of the Western United States. Besides the chinook salmon, other fish that perished include: steelhead (O. mykiss), coho salmon (O. kisutch), sculpins (Cottus spp.), speckled dace (Rhinichthys osculus), and Klamath smallscale sucker (Catostomus rimiculus).{{cite web|last1=Ph.D.|first1=George Gullen|title=Report on Estimate of Mortality|url=https://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries/reports/technical/Klamath_River_Dieoff_Mortality_Report_AFWO_01_03.pdf|publisher=Arcata: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services|date=November 7, 2003}}
A report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found that the kill resulted from water diversions to Klamath Basin by farmers and ranchers during a drought year.{{cite news | first = Glen | last = Martin | title = Salmon kill linked to level of Klamath | date = November 19, 2003 | url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/11/19/MNGRC35FLQ1.DTL | work = San Francisco Chronicle | accessdate = March 17, 2012}} The report found that the atypical low flow in the river along with high fish return numbers and high water temperatures allowed for a gill rot disease to kill at least 33,000 salmon in September 2002, before they could reproduce. The die-off was downstream of the Trinity inflow, and the salmon of the Trinity were impacted to a greater degree than the Klamath as the Trinity run was at its peak. The report does mention that the official fish die-off estimate of 34,056 is probably quite low and could be only half of the actual loss. Klamath River flows as measured at the river gauge in Keno show a low flow of {{convert|800|cuft/s|m3/s|1}} in September 1908 (before irrigation began). During the 2002 fish kill, flows of {{convert|475|cuft/s|m3/s|1}} were recorded. During September of the 2001 irrigation shut-off, an average of {{convert|688|cuft/s|m3/s|1}} was recorded.{{cite web|url=http://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/annual?site_no=11512500&por_11512500_1=2210277,00060,1,1924,1961&year_type=W&format=html_table&date_format=YYYY-MM-DD&rdb_compression=file&submitted_form=parameter_selection_list|title=USGS Gage #11512500 on the Klamath River below Fall Creek near Copco (Average Annual Streamflow)|publisher=United States Geological Survey|work=National Water Information System|accessdate=August 23, 2009}} These lower water flows were decided on against the suggestions of higher water flows biologists had said would be needed to keep the fish safe from a die off.
In 2007, it was reported that United States Vice President Dick Cheney played a role in diverting water to farmers and ranchers for political gain,{{cite news|first=Jo |last=Becker |author2=Barton Gellma |title=Leaving No Tracks |date=June 27, 2007 |url=http://blog.washingtonpost.com/cheney/chapters/leaving_no_tracks/index.html |work=The Washington Post |accessdate=March 17, 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080515135939/http://blog.washingtonpost.com/cheney/chapters/leaving_no_tracks/index.html |archivedate=May 15, 2008 }} The House Natural Resources Committee began an investigation into his role in instigating the fish kill.{{cite web |url=http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20070709/NEWS/707090313 |title=Cheney's role in fish kill probed 2002 Klamath River disaster |work=The Press Democrat |year=2007 |accessdate=May 24, 2011 |archive-date=November 11, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111041057/http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20070709/news/707090313 |url-status=dead }}
The fish kill played an important role in stirring an effort by local Native American peoples, in concert with environmentalists and fishers, to remove dams on the Klamath River.{{cite news | first = Steve | last = Hymon | title = Salmon Die-Off Reignites Feud Over Klamath River Water | date = September 25, 2002 | publisher = Oregon Wild | url = http://www.oregonwild.org/about/press-room/press-clips/salmon-die-off-reignites-feud-over-klamath-river-water/ | work =Los Angeles Times | accessdate = March 17, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110102201747/http://www.oregonwild.org/about/press-room/press-clips/salmon-die-off-reignites-feud-over-klamath-river-water | archive-date = January 2, 2011 | url-status = dead }}{{cite web | url = http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/09/the_klamath_river_will_dam_rem.html | title = The Klamath River: Will dam removal be enough to help fish? | accessdate = March 17, 2012 | last = Barnett | first = Galen | year = 2009 | publisher = The Oregonian}} The Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KBRA) was carefully negotiated and signed by the tribes, the farmers, and PacifiCorp in 2010, but failed to pass through Congress.{{Cite web|url=http://www.northcoastjournal.com/NewsBlog/archives/2015/09/16/yurok-tribe-no-longer-supports-klamath-river-agreement|title=Yurok Tribe no Longer Supports Klamath River Agreement|last=|first=|date=|website=|publisher=|access-date=}} On April 6, 2016, the U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, Yurok Tribal Chair Thomas P. O'Rourke Sr., Karuk Tribal Chair Russell "Buster" Attebery, Klamath Tribal Chair Don Gentry, the governors of Oregon and California, and dam owner PacificCorp signed the landmark agreements, which include a new piece of legislation: the Upper Klamath Basin Comprehensive Agreement.{{Cite web|url=http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2016/04/14/saving-salmon-feds-states-tribes-sign-new-plan-demolish-four-klamath-river-dams-164139|title=Saving the Salmon: Feds, States, Tribes Ink Plan to Demolish Four Klamath River Dams|last=|first=|date=|website=|publisher=|access-date=|archive-date=April 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160419131634/http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2016/04/14/saving-salmon-feds-states-tribes-sign-new-plan-demolish-four-klamath-river-dams-164139|url-status=dead}} The Yurok tribe released a statement in September 2015 acknowledging their withdrawal of support from the landmark agreements due to its dilution of fishing and water rights that would have been acknowledged under KBRA.{{Cite web|url=http://www.northcoastjournal.com/NewsBlog/archives/2015/09/16/yurok-tribe-no-longer-supports-klamath-river-agreement|title=Yurok Tribe no Longer Supports Klamath River Agreement|last=|first=|date=|website=|publisher=|access-date=}}
Community responses
{{See also|Un-Dam the Klamath}}
A play called Salmon is Everything was a collaboration between tribal members and Humboldt State University Theatre professor Theresa May to communicate the impact of the fish kill, featuring a cast which included people from the Hupa, Karuk, and Yurok communities.{{cite web | url = http://eugenedailynews.com/2011/05/19/salmon-is-everything-opens-friday/ | title = "Salmon Is Everything" Opens Friday | accessdate = March 17, 2012 | last = Valentine | first = Andy | date = March 16, 2012 | work = Eugene Daily News}} The play presents the experience of the members of the Yurok, Hoopa Valley, and Karuk tribes, as well as farmers, ranchers, and others invested in the Klamath watershed. Karuk woman, Kathleen McCovey, provided the play with a spiritual perspective through an elder character, Rose. Rose's character demonstrates to the audience the intrinsic role salmon plays in Karuk and Yurok culture:
"Rose: ...You see, to the Karuk people everything and everyone has a purpose. The spirit people taught the Karuk how to live on the land, what to do, what to eat, how to behave, and how and when to conduct ceremonies. Then when the Karuk people knew what to do the spirit people went into the sky, the earth, the trees, the animals the rocks, and into the plants. You see, when I am in the forest, I am never alone, I am surrounded by spirit people."{{Cite book|title=Salmon Is Everything|last=May|first=Theresa|publisher=Oregon State University Press|year=2014|isbn=978-087071-746-8|location=Eugene, OR|pages=55–56}}
The play was first performed at Humboldt State University, and later at the University of Oregon.{{cite web | url = http://cascade.uoregon.edu/spring2011/humanities/salmon-is-everything-a-many-si/ | title = Salmon Is Everything: A Many-Sided Story | accessdate = March 17, 2012 | last = Hickson | first = Patricia | year = 2011 | publisher = University of Oregon}} The book was the Book of the Year for Humboldt State University for 2015-2016.{{Cite web
| url = https://library.humboldt.edu/boty
| title = Book of the Year {{!}} Library {{!}} Humboldt State University
| website = library.humboldt.edu
| access-date = March 2, 2016
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160307014209/https://library.humboldt.edu/boty
| archive-date = March 7, 2016
| url-status = dead
}}
Many documentaries have arisen from the event as well due to the heavy public response to the issue and the agreements that were settled in the aftermath. A River Between Us directed by Gregori J. Martin explains the various sides of the argument and shows how one native tribe went to a potato festival held by the people on the opposite side of the argument to help understand each other better and gain common ground. From the documentary it is clear many people gained common grounds with each other over time in the aftermath of the event.