Written by by Dan Bacher at dailykos.com
The second time was a charm.
Following the disastrous death of 830,000 Chinook salmon fry after the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) released them into the river above Iron Gate Dam in March, the agency this month successfully released 500,000 juvenile salmon into the Klamath River just below the Dam.
Leaders from the Karuk, Yurok, Shasta Indian Nation and Quartz Valley Indian tribes and CDFW participated in the release of about 90,000 yearling coho salmon on Tuesday, April 16, according to a CDFW statement.
CDFW said It was “the first major release of coho salmon, a state and federally listed threatened species, into the Klamath River since dam removal began in earnest late last year.”
The fish were trucked about 7 miles from CDFW’s new, state-of-the-art Fall Creek Fish Hatchery in Siskiyou County and released following remarks and a Tribal blessing, CDFW noted.
“We call this area K’íka·c’é·ki,” said Michael Olson, council member for the Shasta Indian Nation, as quoted by Jefferson Public Radio. “We’re here today to pray for the healing of that, and this river, and these fish. We need all three to be healthy for all of our people to be healthy.”
“These baby fish represent hope,” said Yurok Tribal Council Member Phillip Williams. “The Klamath was mistreated for more than a century, but now the river is healing and so are we. Through dam removal, habitat restoration and hatchery augmentation, we are building a brighter future for the next generations.”
“We’re all here for the same reason. We’re all here to pray for these fish to make it and to see justice for our people down river,” said Kenneth Brink, Vice Chairman of the Karuk Tribe. “It’s a different time we are living in now. Our kids no longer have to see our river die. We are watching our river heal now. It’s a great time.”
The fish were trucked about 7 miles from CDFW’s new, state-of-the-art Fall Creek Fish Hatchery in Siskiyou County and released following remarks and a Tribal blessing, CDFW noted.
“We call this area K’íka·c’é·ki,” said Michael Olson, council member for the Shasta Indian Nation, as quoted by Jefferson Public Radio. “We’re here today to pray for the healing of that, and this river, and these fish. We need all three to be healthy for all of our people to be healthy.”