Years ago, I was standing in an Alaskan stream with a flimsy fishing rod, trying to catch a spawning salmon. I had pedaled about 9 miles from my place of work, one inlet over on the famed Inside Passage, a small plastic bag sitting weightless in the pannier of my bicycle. I had a pocketknife, […]
salmon
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NCJ Preview: Salmon, Chili Dogs and Fiscal Drama
This week’s cover story looks at the impact of the salmon population on Native communities, culturally, economically and in terms of survival. We also have a story on the Civil Grand Jury investigation of the Auditor-Controller’s Office and what the recent Board of Trustees’ letter of no-confidence means. We’re also looking back on Fortuna’s iconic […]
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Karuk Tribe: Spring Chinook Creeping Toward Extinction
A survey of spring Chinook salmon on the Klamath River has returned one of the lowest numbers in decades, spotting only 95 of the fish where hundreds of thousands once swam, according to the Karuk Tribe. “It’s devastating for our community,” said Karen Greenberg, restoration director for the Salmon River Restoration Council in a press […]
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Historic Klamath Dam Removal Project Takes Another Step Forward
The Federal Energy Regulatory Committee today paved the way for the four dams clogging the Klamath River to be taken down, approving a transfer of the hydroelectric license from PacifiCorp to the nonprofit Klamath River Renewal Corporation and the states of Oregon and California. “Since 2016, PacifiCorp, along with a coalition of state and federal […]
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Karuk Tribe Declares Climate Emergency
The Karuk Tribe has declared a climate emergency as the Klamath River Basin has seen the worst conditions in history with very low precipitation and a massive fish kill that could result in losing an entire generation of salmon. “This emergency declaration acknowledges the reality that climate change is upon us, and the dangers that it […]
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A ‘Way of Life at Risk’: A Yurok Tribal Member’s Congressional Testimony
The catastrophic drought that is striking the West seems to have gotten the attention of Congress. On May 25, North Coast Rep. Jared Huffman chaired a virtual bipartisan hearing on the status of drought conditions in an area that extends from the Rio Grande to the Pacific Northwest. Huffman is no stranger to environmental issues, […]
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Releases on the Trinity River to Significant Increase Flow This Week
Restoration flows will begin tomorrow, April 16, on the Trinity River to help improve conditions after another critically dry water year. A flow schedule based on the expected amount of water available to support salmon restoration efforts on the Trinity River is brought forward by the Trinity Management Council each year. This week’s two-day schedule […]
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Fight of the River People
It was a Friday in late August when four jet boats made their way up the Klamath River under a cloudless blue sky. The boats carried three tribal chairs. From the Karuk Tribe, there was Russell “Buster” Attebery, who’d found pride as a boy catching salmon from the river and bringing them home to his […]
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Winter Steelhead Up Next for Coastal Rivers
With no rain in the forecast for at least the next 10 days, the end is in plain view for the late, fall-run salmon season on the North Coast. The Chetco saw a few good days of fishing but the Smith was somewhat of a disappointment. The rains, along with the runs of salmon, were […]
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Kings Tough to Come by on Smith, Chetco
After being open for just over a week, salmon fishing on both the Smith and Chetco has proven to be challenging. By the sound of things, the end is likely near for the run of late-fall kings on the coast. Only a couple small storms hit the coast and dropped enough rain to open the […]
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Local Tribes Sponsor Day of Action for Removal of Klamath Dams
Members of the Karuk, Yurok, Klamath and Hoopa Valley Tribes including different organizations throughout the U.S. are sponsoring a day of action for the removal of the Klamath dams on Friday, Oct. 23, demanding that Warren Buffett, owner of PacifiCorp and the Klamath River dams, keep his promise to remove the four dams. In 2016, […]
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Klamath Seeing a Solid Return of Kings
Since just after Labor Day weekend, the Klamath River has been king salmon central. The river’s been plugged with jacks (2-year old males), along with some hefty adults. The run started a little late this year, likely due to unusually high water temperatures. Smoke-filled skies, shielding the water from the bright sun, finally began cooling […]