Article Author:
Associated Press
HAPPY CAMP, CALIFORNIA (AP) — Tens of thousands of Klamath River fish may have died in a dangerous wildfire burning in a remote area just south of the Oregon border. , said the Kalk tribe.
Dead fish of all species were found Friday along the main stream of the Klamath River near Happy Camp, California, the tribe said in a statement.
The exact cause of the fish deaths is unknown, but tribal biologists believe that flash floods caused by heavy rains in the burn area caused massive debris flows that flowed into the river. said Craig Tucker, spokesman for the family. tribe.
The Karuk Nation worked with another Northern California tribe, the Yurok Nation, and state and federal agencies to determine what happened and how much damage was done. We're giving you access to the Fire Zone to get a better sense of what's going on. problem.
It is still unclear whether fish deaths are localized or spread further downstream, affecting other fish.
A photograph of the Kaluk River, taken about 20 miles (32 kilometers) downstream from the flash flood, shows dozens of fish among sticks and other debris in the dark brown water along the riverbanks. I could see the dead fish in the water pissed off.
The McKinney Fire, which has devoured more than 90 square miles (233 km2) of his Klamath National Forest, wiped out the scenic Klamath River settlement of about 200 people this week. The blaze killed four of his people in a small community and reduced most of his homes and businesses to ashes.
Scientists say that over the past three decades, climate change has made the West warmer and drier, with more extreme weather, and wildfires more frequent and devastating. said it would be A 22-year mega-drought intensifies in the western United States in 2021, and the region is now the driest in at least 1,200 years.
When the McKinney Fire started, it burned only a few hundred acres and firefighters thought it would be quickly contained. However, a thunderstorm came with ferocious gusts of wind, driving an unstoppable conflagration within hours.
Saturday's fire was contained by him by 30%.
The killing of the fish was a blow to the Kalk and Yurok, who had fought for years to protect the fragile salmon shoals of the Klamath River. Salmon is revered by the Kalk tribe and the Yurok tribe, her second largest native American tribe in California.
The federally endangered fish species has suffered in recent years from low flow rates in the Klamath River, and last summer a deadly parasite for salmon spread to warmer, more mobile waters. It breeds in slow waters and kills fish in large numbers.
After years of negotiations, four downstream dams impeding salmon migration will be removed next year, making it the largest dam demolition project in U.S. history to save fish. Scheduled recovery.