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Commentary: Claims of Trinity River salmon run decimation off base

Posted by: Maven on December 25, 2009 at 9:06 am

From Patrick Higgins at IndyBay.org, this commentary:

“The Internet was abuzz in late October and early November with claims that this year’s Trinity River fall Chinook salmon runs were cut off by Hoopa Tribe fishermen and there was some coverage of this in the local press. It would appear that the source of the rumor was fishing guides new to the Trinity River who didn’t know that the salmon run peaks earlier there than in the Sacramento River, where the guides would normally fish. The Internet rumor mill can be vicious and difficult to respond to, but luckily in this case there is a source of scientific information so that the public can check the allegations.

Data from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Arcata on Trinity River fall Chinook is now available (http://www.fws.gov/arcata/fisheries/projectUpdates.html) and show the guide’s hypothesis that this year’s run was intercepted by gill nets is false. Salmon nest or redd counts in 2009 were the highest recorded since 2002.

The total number of spring and fall Chinook adult fish spawning in the
wild was in the tens of thousands throughout the system, including
tributaries, and thousands of fish returned to the Trinity River Hatchery. This robust return was expected since ocean fishing has been completely shut for two years due to the Sacramento-San Joaquin fall Chinook stock collapse. … “

Continue reading this post at IndyBay.org by clicking here.

December 25, 2009 · Filed Under Northern California

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