This year an entire class of juvenile fish, migrating to the Pacific, was wiped out by a warm-water parasite called Ceratonova shasta One testing sample found 97 of juveniles infected with the parasite. Of those infected only 63% are expected to survive. Until white settlers began degrading the ecosystem, the Kalmath was the Pacific Coast's third largest fishery. The species is a keystone to the region's fauna and flora. Salmon not only feed humans, but orcas, brown bears, river otters and bald eagles depend on their yearly heroics. Their cacasses provide nutrents to river bank trees that shade the waters and prevent erosion, which contributes to water quality. Loss of the salmon will cause a general decline and eventual collapse of the ecosystem.
The drought this year has been truly epic. Lake Mead, the country's largest resevoir is now 65% empty. The US Bureau of Reclaimation has declared an emergency, and slashed permissible withdrawals from the Colorado River. The Cascade snow pack was quickly absorbed by the arid landscape, so very little cold run-off reached the river, causing low flows and elevated water temepratures that are favorable to C. shasta. A shortage of river water prevented the Bureau from releasing a pulse of cleansing water downriver to flush out the worms that carry the parasite. This over=appropriation exacerbated by drought caused stakeholders to engage in a counterproductive flurry of circular lawsuits. This situation confirmed what had been known but perhaps not openly admitted, that the Kalamath Basin is not capable of meeting all the demands upon it for water. Cattle herds were culled resulting in depressed prices, and the Yurok tribe closed its fishing season for the fith straight year leaving families without traditional salmon meals.
More importantly from a conservation standpoint, are the impacts on the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge. What was once a vibrant reserve of important migratory bird habitat is now according to one observer, "a big mud puddle". Botulism, triggered by increased heat. killed at least 60,000 ducks last year. A half century ago, seven million waterfowl passed through the Kalmath Basin on their way south to California's Sacramento River valley. Today, a million birds is considered a good year.
Stakeholders now look fondly upon unprecedented agreements reached between 2010 and 2014 to reallocate and rehabilitate the river system and its salmon populations. Remarkably the agreements were reached without the support of local "Tea Party" politicians who oppposed the initiatives becuase of the dam removals. Plans for removal of the dams has gone ahead despite the lack of political support in Washington. Now, the removals seem to be on track without the other provisions of the historic treaty of the Kalmath that would have increased the likelyhood of saving Klamath salmon and two species of suckers prized by the indeginous. The dam removals are pending before the FERC, which does not plan to issue a final decision until 2022, meaning demolition would not actually start before 2024. The delay increases the chances that the Klamath salmon will not make it to the day their river is returned to them.
Perhaps Joe Munchkin should travel to southern Oregon to see for himself what climate change does to people and the fish they eat. He can afford it.