The quota for salmon harvest by the Yurok and Hoopa Tribes for commercial and subsistence purposes is set by the PFMC after consideration of the recommendations provided by the KFMC. The supervision and enforcement of the net fisheries in the river are conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Hoopa Tribe. Such harvests conducted in the river are known as "terminal" fisheries. Fishing effort can be shifted in terminal fisheries by changing their timing to coincide with run abundance or, in the alternative, to withhold fishing effort to decrease harvest when depressed stock groups might be migrating. Gill nets do not, of course, permit the live release of native fish and the selective retention of hatchery fish. This harvest method can, therefore, also pose mixed stock harvest problems for depressed stocks as they migrate with, and are harvested with, the more abundant hatchery fish.
Fishery regulations are enforced on the Yurok Reservation below Weitchpec by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs. The Yuroks have both a subsistence fishery and a commercial fishery. In recent years the opening date for the Yurok commercial fishery has been set by the BIA through a memorandum of understanding with CDFG. Fishing continues until the quota is attained. Fish caught in the commercial fishery can be sold only to one buyer designated by the BIA.
The Yurok subsistence fishery has had specific quotas for fall chinook salmon since 1985. Transporting more than 15 subsistence fish off the Reservation requires a permit. All subsistence fish transported must be marked. Transport of unmarked fish or sale of subsistence fish is prohibited. Indians caught violating regulations are brought before an Indian judicial system. CDFG retains sportfishing regulation and enforcement responsibilities on this section of the river. Control of the fishery will pass from the BIA to the Yurok Tribe to regulate when the Tribe has completed the formal process of organization. The U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service, under contract with the BIA, monitors the net harvest on the Yurok Reservation and reports catch information to the KFMC and PFMC.
The Hoopa Valley Tribe monitors the harvest of anadromous fish on the Hoopa Valley Reservation through its fisheries department. Quotas for chinook salmon are based upon pre-season allocations set by the KFMC and PFMC regulatory process. The duties of regulation and enforcement were transferred from the BIA to the Tribe in 1987. The enforcement of tribal fishing regulations are carried out by tribal law enforcement personnel and violations are prosecuted in the tribal Court. Catch statistics and pertinent biological information, such as length, weight, and incidence of tagged fish are gathered and shared with the PFMC and recorded in the Hoopa Fisheries Annual Report. A Memorandum of Agreement with the State empowers Hoopa law enforcement personnel to enforce CDFG sportfishing regulations on the Reservation.
The Karuk Tribe has been granted fishing privileges in the half mile below Ishi Pishi Falls by the State of California. The Karuk do not have a specific quota, nor do they have an allocation from the KFMC. CDFG does not directly monitor the Karuk fishery, nor does the BIA. The Karuk Tribe is in the process of setting up a Karuk Fisheries Department which will determine the Karuk's needs for and uses of salmon, represent the Karuk concerning fishery management issues, and seek formal recognition for a Tribal fishery. The monitoring of the dip net fishery at Ishi Pishi Falls is being conducted by the Karuk Tribe in 1990-91, with funding from the Klamath River Task Force.
The Karuk consider the designated fishing area at Ishi Pishi to be owned by a group of families and to be both inappropriate and inadequate as a fishing place for all 2,000 tribal members. Lack of a specific harvest allocation and absence of representation on the KFMC also are seen as problems by the Karuk.
The Indian net harvest, like the mixed-stock ocean harvest, can have serious impacts on runs of locally adapted stocks that are depressed. Efforts in recent years to harvest surplus Trinity River Hatchery spring chinook have been made at times that wild spring chinook or summer steelhead were also migrating. Some of these populations are at very low levels. Commercial harvest for spring chinook in 1989 was set for June to avoid an impact on earlier running native fish. The impacts on summer steelhead are monitored closely and are considered to be slight (USFWS 1988a). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stated, however, (USFWS 1990d) that "concerns regarding impacts on natural stocks of spring chinook by subsistence fisheries are real and should be addressed to provide increased protection for these stocks." Both USFWS (1989) and the KRTAT (1989) have warned that concentrating the Yurok commercial harvest of fall chinook early in the season has disproportionate impact on Iron Gate Hatchery fall chinook and upper Klamath native stocks.
Green sturgeon are often harvested directly with large mesh nets, or are taken incidentally by Indians while fishing for salmon. Catches of sturgeon have shown a decreasing trend since 1980 (USFWS 1988a). Because green sturgeon do not reach sexual maturity until they are 15 to 20 years old, the effects of overfishing might not be fully reflected for 15 to 20 years. An undated CDFG publication on green sturgeon indicates that fish tagged in the Klamath River "have been recaptured in Oregon and Washington rivers and bays." A substantial harvest of green sturgeon using gill nets occurs in Willapa Bay in Washington. Klamath River green sturgeon stocks, therefore, may be exposed to fisheries outside the basin. Increased monitoring efforts are needed to determine whether current harvest rates of green sturgeon are sustainable, including harvest in other areas, or whether they are putting the population at risk.
While angling harvest quotas for chinook salmon are set by the PFMC, the State of California promulgates specific fishing regulations and enforces them. The KFMC may give harvest management suggestions to CDFG for sport harvesting in the river for all anadromous fish species of interest to the Restoration Program. With the exception of fall chinook salmon, the KFMC has yet to exercise that option.
State regulations require salmon fishermen in the Klamath Basin to possess a punch card. No other stream or river in the State has this requirement. Bag limits for steelhead were lowered in all areas of California in 1990, except for the Klamath and Trinity Rivers where three fish in possession is still allowed. There is a bag limit of five salmon grilse, but only two adult salmon over 22 inches may be taken. Two adults can be taken in combination with three jacks to reach a limit of five fish. Steelhead may be taken in addition to any salmon.
Regulations have been devised, as well, to protect summer steelhead and chinook and coho salmon in certain tributaries. No "trout" over 15 inches may be kept in tributaries of the Klamath, Trinity, Salmon, Scott or Shasta Rivers during trout season, in order to protect summer steelhead. Salmon can be taken legally by sportfishermen only in the main stems of the Klamath and Trinity Rivers, and not from any of the tributary streams.
The in-river sport catch of summer steelhead or native spring chinook in the mainstem of the Klamath and Trinity Rivers could have detrimental effects on remnant native spring chinook and summer steelhead populations. The South Fork of the Trinity was recently closed to fishing during the summer to protect both these species.
"Trout" fishing in the tributaries of the Klamath River could negatively impact salmon and steelhead juveniles, except where fishing occurs above barriers to anadromous fish migration. These larger salmon or steelhead juveniles have often survived adverse environmental conditions, are nearing a transition to the smolt phase, and are very important to future adult recruitment. The overharvest by anglers of the yearling steelhead released from Trinity River Hatchery has prompted CDFG to close the Trinity River to fishing from March 14 to the last Saturday in April.
Summer steelhead and spring chinook are extremely susceptible to poaching. They spend nearly all summer in deep pools and often are visible because of the excellent low-water clarity. Roelofs (1983) found that poaching was prevalent in several streams containing summer steelhead. USFS fisheries crews have also seen substantial indications of poaching activity while doing stream surveys in recent years (Jack West, personal communication). Large portions of spring chinook and summer steelhead runs often congregate in just a few pools, increasing their vulnerability and the risk of population loss from poaching. Both spring chinook and summer steelhead have continued to be taken illegally, even as populations approach extinction, on the South Fork of the Trinity River.
Figure 4-9 -- Low, clear streams leave spring chinook and summer steelhead vulnerable to poachers.
Green sturgeon are subjected to substantial illegal fishing pressure. The problem of sturgeon snagging was noted at Coon Creek on the Klamath River, where a slide made progress upstream difficult for spawning adults (USFWS 1982). The slide was altered by blasting to alleviate the problem. Poaching of this nature remains a problem on the Klamath at Akins Creek. Snagging of green sturgeon is often occurs in the areas where these fish are spawning. Poachers on Akins Creek are often armed, which makes it necessary for wardens to team up when policing this area. A second CDFG warden must come a considerable distance. Logistical and budget constraints make it difficult, therefore, to have enough enforcement presence to serve as a deterrent.
Public concern has grown over the potential impact on the Pacific Northwest's salmon and steelhead of the high seas drift gill nets used by fishermen from Asian nations. In response to this concern, Congress passed the Driftnet Impact Monitoring, Assessment, and Control Act of 1987. The National Marine Fisheries Service subsequently began more intensive study and monitoring to assess the impacts of the driftnet harvest (US Dept. of Commerce 1989).
The Japanese have been using driftnets on the high seas since 1905. Large mesh nets were initially used to target blue fin tuna, a fishery that collapsed by 1940. Today, seven high seas driftnet fisheries are known to be operating in the North Pacific Ocean: the Japanese mothership salmon, Japanese landbased salmon; Japanese and Taiwanese large-mesh tuna and billfish fishery; the squid fisheries conducted by Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Taiwan. There are also unregulated driftnet fishing efforts conducted primarily by Taiwanese and Korean fishermen. The Japanese have greatly reduced their driftnet fisheries for salmon in response to the concerns of both the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. The squid fisheries are regulated by time and area closures, based on sea surface temperatures, in order to minimize the interception of salmonids.
Several factors led to a substantial increase in fishing pressure in recent years in all of the driftnet fisheries, including increased fuel costs, increased regulation of other fisheries, such as the Japanese salmon harvest, the reduced profitability of some traditional fisheries, and, of course, the inherent attraction of a high catch rate. The vessels have become larger, allowing them to operate in more adverse sea conditions and to increase their capacity. The lengths of the nets have increased substantially. Much of the area that is being fished is in international waters, so regulations and accords must be negotiated with the nations involved in the fishery. Japan, Korea, and Taiwan all have laws which prohibit keeping salmonids caught as "bycatch" in driftnet fisheries.
No clear estimates of salmonid bycatch are available. Low-level monitoring of the squid driftnet fishery has shown very low incidence of salmonids in catches. However, the tremendous amount of net used, the shifting of vessels between fisheries (ie. small mesh for squid to large mesh for albacore), and the network of resupply and trans-shipment vessels combine to make the harvesting capacity of these fisheries enormous and also difficult to monitor and control. Even with low catch rates the harvest of incidental salmonids could be very substantial. The effects on marine mammal and sea bird populations are also of great concern. NMFS is currently stepping up its monitoring efforts. (The information above was taken from a 1989 NMFS report to Congress).
In 1989 National Atmospheric and Oceanic (NOAA) special agents began a crackdown to eliminate illegally taken salmonids from the drift net fishery from the world market (Lewis 1990). Over 1.3 million pounds of illegally caught salmon was confiscated in 1989 alone. Ten million pounds of salmon taken from drift net fisheries was found to be "laundered" by shipping back through the United States and then to the Japanese market. The Lacy Act was invoked to prosecute a Japanese fish broker and his American associate who attempted to sell undercover agents 24 million pounds of illegally taken high seas salmon (Lewis 1990).
Because Klamath River chinook salmon feed in the ocean along the continental shelf from Newport, Oregon to Monterey, California (PFMC 1984), they are not exposed to the driftnet fisheries described above. Coho salmon migrations are thought to be along the continental shelf well within the United State's 200 mile Economic Enterprise Zone. What evidence we do have for most of the salmon stocks of the basin would indicate that it is unlikely that these fish are vulnerable to the driftnet fishery.
The ocean migration pattern of Klamath River steelhead stocks is not well studied but, Barnhardt (1986) reported that some stocks of steelhead from the Pacific Southwest region migrated north and south along the continental shelf. Satterthwaite (1988) documented the entry of substantial numbers of Klamath Basin steelhead half-pounders in the Rogue River and found that some of these fish subsequently return as adults to the Klamath drainage. This straying may indicate that these fish migrate along the nearshore, in which case they may not be exposed to the high seas driftnet fisheries.
Some larger winter steelhead from California coastal streams do have extended North Pacific migration patterns (Light et al. 1988). Klamath River winter steelhead, such as those returning to the lower river tributaries, could have migration patterns similar to the other California coastal stocks. If this is the case, these fish would appear to be the only stock group in the basin possibly at risk in the high seas driftnet fishery.
The United States maintains that it has "exclusive or, at a minimum, preferential rights to salmon from its waters on the high seas. These rights are not universally recognized by nations who are operating driftnet fisheries, but they are the basis for several laws passed by Congress to deal with this problem. The Lacy Act provides for prosecution of anyone trafficking in fish that are illegal to possess in a foreign country, such as driftnet-caught salmon in Japan. The Fishermen's Protective Act, or Pelly Amendment, directs the President to ban the importation of fish products from any nation whose actions diminish the effect of international fishery conservation. The 1989 Drift Net Act calls for participation by all driftnet fishing nations for a full monitoring program. If nations refuse, the Act calls for the Secretaries of State and Commerce to alert the President, thus triggering bans of fish imports called for by the Pelly Amendment. Countries wishing to participate in joint venture fisheries within the U.S.'s 200 mile zone must sign a Governing International Fishery Agreement which acknowledges U.S. jurisdiction over its salmon stocks, even in international waters. (The information above was taken from the Oceanic and Coastal Law Memo, July 1990).
1990 amendments to the Magnusen Fisheries and Conservation Act call for a ban on large scale driftnet fishing in the ocean (Fishery Conservation Amendment of 1990). The act directs the Secretary of State, in response in part to the 1989 Tarawa Declaration and United Nations Resolution No. 44225, to begin negotiations immediately to end large-scale high seas driftnet fishing. The Secretary is to report the progress on the negotiations to Congress within one year. The amendment also requires certificates of origin for any anadromous fish products imported into the United States (Rod McInnis personal communication).
Estimates of mortality of anadromous salmonids from natural predators runs as high as 98 percent (Fresh in Steward and Bjornn 1990). Great blue herons, belted kingfishers, mergansers, dippers, gulls, otters, garter snakes, various mammals, and other fish all eat juvenile salmonids. Predation in ocean nearshore areas is greatest by blue sharks, sea lions, and harbor seals, while sharks and lampreys may pose the greatest threat on the high seas (Ricker 1976).
Most predators are opportunistic and in some cases we give them an advantage. The reduced depth and cover in tributaries that have been degraded increases the vulnerability of juvenile salmonids. When water diversions isolate outmigrating juveniles in side channels of streams they become vulnerable to predation. When fish are captured and marked for run size estimation in the lower river or estuary, seals and sea lions take advantage of their disorientation (Hart 1987).
Figure 4-10 -- While bald eagles feed opportunistically on salmon carcasses, other birds have large impacts on juvenile salmon.
Research suggests that losses to predation may be greater for hatchery juveniles than for native fish (Larrson 1985), possibly due to inappropriate avoidance behavior, stress, and general unfamiliarity with new surroundings. Brown trout are known to prey on the releases of hatchery smolts in the Trinity River below Lewiston Dam (Paul Hubbell personal communication). Studies show that predation on hatchery releases below dams can be decreased by increasing streamflows (Hvidsten and Hansen 1988).
Salmonids released from hatcheries at a large size are potential predators on native juveniles, while fish stocked at a smaller size fall prey to larger native salmonid, cottids, and cyprinid fishes (Steward and Bjornn 1990). Releases of hatchery juvenile salmonids can cause increases in predation on native salmonids as well. High numbers of hatchery-released juveniles can cause predators to congregate and impact native and hatchery fish (Wood 1987). Cormorants are significant predators on the Klamath below Iron Gate Hatchery, but were not common in the area prior to hatchery construction (Hiser personal communication). Congregations of bird predators near hatchery release points is well documented. Smaller native fish, displaced in competition for space by larger hatchery fish, may be more conspicuous in suboptimal habitats and more subject to predation (Steward and Bjornn 1990).
Reductions in the mortality of juvenile salmonids by predator removal or reduction have been reported (Huntsman 1941). McEvoy (1987) suggested that reductions in sea otter populations dramatically increased abalone populations in California. Yuroks traditionally harvested marine mammals (McEvoy 1987), but today many of these species are protected by the Marine Mammals Protection Act. Clearly, the major reductions in recent decades of anadromous salmonids are largely a result of habitat alteration. To try to remedy the fish population declines by eliminating predators would be a misdirected effort and one which would create ill will for the Restoration Program. The weak, the sick, or otherwise poorly-adapted salmon and steelhead are weeded from the population for the betterment of the species. The predators are part of the web of life and they play ecological roles that are an integral part of the perpetuation of salmon and steelhead in the Basin.
Because the Restoration Program has as its principal objective the restoration of native fish populations, the information needed to monitor its success will be substantial. Monitoring escapements for widely dispersed smaller streams in stock group areas, like the middle Klamath, will require significant manpower. Some of the river's anadromous fish remain virtually unstudied. Steelhead life history, their ocean migration patterns, and population trends of the fall and winter runs remain unknown. Green sturgeon populations need more study and a subsequent management plan. Information concerning trends in abundance of cutthroat trout, lamprey, and candlefish should be gathered, as these fish are also indicators of the river's health and may be indicate the success of the Restoration Program. If we are to fully utilize the carrying capacity of the Klamath River ecosystem on a sustainable basis, we must know more about the biology of the stocks we are trying to restore.
While identifying and managing diverse stock groups of anadromous fishes poses difficult challenges, the potential rewards are great. Monitoring is already conducted in all of the identified stock group areas for fall chinook on the Klamath River except for the Middle Klamath. At least one major tributary, such as Clear Creek or Dillon Creek, should be monitored through weir operation. While the Program may not be able to support the effort needed to do spawner estimates in many of the basin's smaller streams, it should be possible to coordinate volunteer efforts to help gather data.
The Department of Fish and Game currently uses volunteers from sportfishing groups to help with spawner counts in some smaller Middle Klamath tributaries (D. Maria personal communication). Restoration groups along California's North Coast have successfully used volunteers. High school students are interested in participating as the Program's educational effort takes hold. (The training of volunteers is discussed in Chapter 3).
The Department of Fish and Game's Natural Stocks Assessment Program has made some interesting findings concerning the carrying capacity of Bogus Creek (Mills et al. unpublished). Information from this program should be shared so that it can assist adaptive management. It may be time to shift efforts from this upper Klamath tributary to a productive middle Klamath tributary stock group. As more data is gathered on spawning escapement and smolt production in tributaries from other geographic areas, earlier estimates of carrying capacity (West et al. 1990 and Hubbell and Boydstun 1985) can be refined. The California Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Fisheries Assistance Office in Arcata should communicate so that Fish and Wildlife's efforts on Blue Creek are added to the data base of the Natural Stocks Assessment. Personnel from small scale rearing programs can be taught to operate downstream migrant traps and contribute information to the Natural Stocks Assessment Program, as well. Implementing consistent levels of constant fractional marking for all chinook salmon releases from both the Trinity and Iron Gate Hatcheries would enable the calculation of the proportion of native and hatchery stocks in the Klamath with much greater precision.
Direct observation efforts involving both agency staff and volunteers should continue for the critically important spring chinook population on the Salmon River. The radio tagging currently being conducted to determine movements, spawn timing, and other behavior of the spring chinook could assist the restoration of this run. The USFWS should continue its efforts to monitor the harvest of spring chinook in the lower river net fisheries. Native spring chinook in the Klamath once numbered in the hundreds of thousands. No estimates have yet been made for what levels of population could be achieved through restoration. Interim goals for escapement should be developed from recent trends in escapement and targets set for the basinwide restoration of the native runs.
More conclusive identification of stock groups of chinook salmon should be pursued using the criteria suggested by Nicholas and Hankin (1988a). Season of return to the Klamath and timing of entry into home streams can be determined by the seining in the lower river and the weir operations. Timing of spawning is already known for some stocks and could be gathered for others as spawner counts are expanded to new areas. Fecundity and egg size can be provided by small scale hatchery programs using native broodstock and new data added, as programs shift their site of operation or new facilities are opened. Coded wire tagging of all fish released from small scale programs may show different ocean migration patterns over time. Continued scale analysis such as Sullivan's (unpublished) work can tell us about life histories in various areas of the basin. Weirs operated by small scale rearing programs can be used to collect scales for analysis.
The data gaps on winter steelhead and coho salmon will not be as easy to fill as those for fall chinook salmon. Weir operation at the time these fish return will be difficult because of high flows (Bill Chesney personal communication). The Trinity River Task Force is funding operation of a weir on the New River in the winter of 1990-91 to monitor steelhead runs (S. Noble personal communication). The Klamath Task Force should follow these efforts and decide whether expanding weir operation later into the year to monitor coho and steelhead is practical on the Shasta, Scott, and Salmon Rivers. The biggest problem is the tendency of these fish to move with high flows when racks or weirs can not be operated. Middle Klamath small scale native chinook enhancement programs, such as that on Camp Creek, can provide some information since they operate weirs during coho migrations and early winter steelhead runs. Spawner counts could help enumerate coho escapement, but reliable estimates of adult steelhead by spawning surveys are not possible.
The universal marking of steelhead began on the Trinity River in 1990 (USFWS in press). Marking all Iron Gate Hatchery steelhead would help unmask problems with residualism from both hatcheries and would allow for an accurate assessment of the contributions of hatchery and native steelhead from seining operations in the lower Klamath. Such marking would also help anglers to differentiate between hatchery and native steelhead and release the natives in order to help rebuild their population. Scale analysis has been used by ODFW to understand the life histories of steelhead better. Scale samples can be collected by guides and anglers, during seining and weir operations, and from the small scale rearing programs that handle steelhead. If rearing programs for steelhead are expanded they can provide other information on stock identification similar to that described above for chinook. The question of ocean migration patterns of Klamath steelhead must be answered if the risks associated with high seas driftnet fishing are to be fully understood.
The fishing guides on the Klamath are already mandated by CDFG to collect data on daily catches of salmon and steelhead. Current catch rates could be used as a baseline for the population levels of steelhead. Future catches could be used to judge the success or failure of the Restoration Program in rebuilding steelhead populations. Past studies of catch-per-unit effort in the lower Klamath by Lee (unpublished) and Hopelain (unpublished) should be made public. The desirability of resuming such studies as a tool for monitoring steelhead population recovery should also be considered.
Concern is growing over the health of the green sturgeon population in California and there is some question as to whether the population needs the special protections of the Endangered Species Act (Peter Moyle personal communication). More information is needed to formulate a management plan for this species. Because the green sturgeon is highly migratory, the study area would have to encompass the entire West Coast. An appropriate funding source would be the NMFS. Any such investigation should include the distribution of juveniles and larvae in various estuaries and bays, stock structure through analysis of the micro-constituents of bone samples, and identifying the source of sturgeon captured in Washington's Willapa Bay fishery (Sharon Kramer personal communication). Proper management of green sturgeon is crucial, as these fish are long-lived and extremely vulnerable to fishing pressure, habitat loss, and the other habitat factors which may limit stock reproductive success.
The candlefish may be an indicator of extreme changes in bedload in the lower Klamath River. Since the eulachon spawns in spring in the mainstem of the Klamath, changes in particle size distribution may be decreasing their spawning success. Indian fishermen have noted severe declines of this fish. The candlefish could serve as an indicator species for the Restoration Program in this regard. Since the eulachon has been important for subsistence in the past, it is likely the Yurok would assist studies concerning this fish.
The Restoration Program should explore opportunities to cooperate with colleges or universities to interest graduate students in gathering information concerning lamprey, shad, and cutthroat.
The success of the Klamath River Basin Fishery Restoration Program will ultimately be measured by its ability to return self-sustaining fish runs to the key areas of the Basin. The best chances for achieving such a goal involves the use of the fish stock groups that have evolved in the different regions of the Klamath Basin. While the stock groups proposed in this plan are based on incomplete information, there is sufficient evidence to suggest their validity. The Task Force should continue to update information regarding stock structure of all anadromous fishes of the basin, giving priority to chinook salmon, but move ahead on management and planning decisions while such information is being gathered. Those stock groups which are declining toward total loss should be targeted as priority stocks for recovery and necessary habitat improvement, harvest management, and hatchery production measures to reduce negative impacts on them should be taken immediately.
The current depressed condition of Klamath River anadromous fish populations reflects continuing problems with their habitat. Numerous tributaries and the lower Klamath River itself are only in the early stages of recovery from the 1964 flood. Because of continuing timber harvest on unstable soils, related road building on steep slopes and the 1987 fires, a major flood could cause a new episode of degradation which could eliminate some locally adapted stock groups altogether. Runs in the upper Basin tributaries continue to be depressed due to lack of water and poor water quality. The Klamath River could be characterized fairly as "ecologically stressed." Reform of the land uses which have caused these problems and appropriate habitat restorations must be implemented, with priority given to those stock groups most threatened (The solutions to problems related to habitat degradation are addressed in Chapters 2 and 3).
A strong and explicit working relationship must be forged between the Task Force and the Klamath Fisheries Management Council. While harvest may not be the primary cause for decline of the basins salmon stocks, it can pose a threat to the survival of greatly reduced stock groups. Each stock group described should be viewed as a natural production unit (Riggs 1990). A restored Shasta River fall chinook stock group, for instance, could provide an annual escapement of 6,000 to 18,000 fish on a sustainable basis (Hubbell and Boydsdun 1985) and a possible annual harvest of twice those numbers. By the Task Force bringing to the KFMC's attention the needs of priority stocks for recovery and stimulating appropriate action, problems similar to those in the Columbia Basin with the Endangered Species Act may be averted. The Council should also be encouraged to concern itself with the management of the river's other anadromous fishes, such as green sturgeon.
The monitoring of escapements and trends in run strengths must be expanded. Weir operation should be begun on a middle Klamath fall chinook stock group tributary. Spawner counts for chinook and coho salmon should be expanded to as many streams as possible. The continued monitoring of spring chinook and summer steelhead by direct observation will provide critically needed information to the Restoration Program and the KFMC. Appropriate programs to monitor fall and winter steelhead run trends must be implemented since these fish are vitally important to the economies of the Klamath Basin communities. The vulnerability of large winter steelhead from the Klamath Basin to high seas drift net fishing needs further exploration. The Task Force should follow the political process concerning problems related to the high seas drift net fishery, until questions about risks to the Basin's steelhead are resolved.
Green sturgeon have special needs due to the age structure-related vulnerability of their population. The NMFS should be requested to provide sufficient information and a management plan for the species should then be devised. Eulachon can provide the Task Force with an indicator of the health of the lower river and their decline should be stopped.
The California Department of Fish and Game's wardens do an impressive job in the Klamath Basin, given their limited numbers and the huge area for which they are responsible. In order to stop poaching however, a new level of cooperation with communities and other law enforcement personnel must be reached. As Basin communities become aware of the potential economic benefit of a successful Restoration program, they will take a more proprietary interest in their local fisheries resources.
Policies for Fish Population Protection
Objective 4: Strive to protect the genetic diversity of anadromous fishes in the Klamath River Basin.
4.1 Increases in populations of self-sustaining runs of fish separate in time or space from hatchery stocks, referred to here as "native" populations, will be the basis upon which the success of the Restoration Program will be judged.
4.2. The Task Force will work closely with the Klamath Fisheries Management Council to protect locally adapted anadromous fish stocks that return to all areas of the Klamath Basin, so that self-sustaining runs can be restored, with emphasis given to priority stocks for recovery.
4.3. The Task Force shall recognize the fish populations adapted to the various areas of the Klamath Basin as stock groups until further study indicates that finer or broader distinctions better serve the Klamath River Basin Fisheries Restoration Program. To this end, the following will be undertaken:
a. Fall chinook salmon escapement should continue to be monitored by use of weirs on the Shasta, Scott, and Salmon rivers and on Blue Creek, and an additional monitoring effort begun on a Middle Klamath tributary.
b. Native spring chinook populations shall continue to be monitored closely in the Salmon River and in the lower river net harvest.
c. CDFG will be requested to continue to monitor population trends of summer steelhead through direct observation surveys.
d. Study feasibility of weir operation later in the season to get more information on coho and steelhead.
e. The Task Force will provide training and supervision for community volunteers interested in conducting spawner surveys to help gather information about native salmon stocks, including coho.
f. Ask CDFG to analyze the angler success data currently collected from guides to provide a steelhead catch-per-effort baseline from which to measure the success of the Restoration Program.
g. Collect information on green sturgeon harvest.
h. Get the information suggested in Nicholas and Hankin (1988) with which to better identify stock groups, beginning with chinook salmon and proceeding on to all salmon and steelhead stock groups.
i. Include the fish counting methods suggested by Hankin and Reeves (1988) when habitat typing, in order to have consistent estimates of standing crops of juvenile fish.
j. Request NMFS to fund a study of green sturgeon, including its distribution, population structure, and level of harvest of Klamath stocks in other areas, to provide sufficient information so that a management plan for the Klamath green sturgeon can be devised.
k. Create incentives for graduate students and other qualified investigators on cutthroat trout, eulachon, and lamprey of the Klamath Basin.
4.4 The Task Force will work with the California Department of Fish and Game to:
a. Mark, by fin-clipping or other method, all hatchery steelhead at Iron Gate Hatchery as well as Trinity River Hatchery so that:
1. Voluntary selective harvest will be possible.
2. The problem of residualism can be investigated.
3. The contributions of hatchery and native steelhead to returns can be determined.
b. Mark a consistent fraction of all hatchery chinook salmon to help in the Natural Stocks Assessment study of the native-to-hatchery relationship of Klamath Basin chinook stocks.
c. Share information gathered through research in a timely manner to enable adaptive management techniques.
d. Investigate the practicality of closing anadromous fish producing streams to "trout" fishing.
e. Promote genetic stock identification or DNA programs for ocean and river sampling to determine fish stock identification.
4.5 To strengthen law enforcement protection of Klamath Basin fish populations, the Task Force will
a. Encourage the formation of local citizen "watch groups" to help in the protection and monitoring of remnant fish populations throughout the basin.
b. Ask CDFG to seek cooperative agreements with other law enforcement agencies so that sheriffs' deputies, Forest Service and CDF officers, and highway patrolmen may be interested in helping wardens curb poaching.
4.6 The Task Force will encourage local judges to punish poachers to the full extent of the law. Where necessary, particularly to protect stocks in danger of becoming extinct, increases in penalties for poaching should be sought.
4.7 The Task Force will work towards determining spawning population levels appropriate to achieve optimal smolt production for all self sustaining populations of anadromous salmonids in the basin.
4.8 The Task Force will support the ban on the
use of large-scale driftnets for fishing on the high seas.
