Listen
The forest fires raging in the Columbia River Gorge are unlikely to disturb adult coho salmon right now. But Northwest tribal fishers are worried about what will happen in the fall.
Tribes are particularly concerned with a distinct group of coho salmon that spawn on the Oregon side of the Gorge, especially those that use the tributaries of the Columbia and Sandy rivers. Numbers wise, they say the fires are not going to decimate all Columbia coho. But for this small population of threatened fish, it’s a major upset.
Seth White, a watershed ecologist for Northwest tribes, said spawning time and fall rains could be a deadly match-up this autumn.
“Because what’s going to happen is that rain is going to bring down a lot of the ash and the sediments and the woody debris and a lot of the other things that have gotten into the stream from the fire,” White said.
These fish may use nearby streams for decades while the affected watersheds recover—that’s what happened after Mt. St. Helens. White said some streams could take up to 50 years to recover.
The tribes are also concerned that several of their traditional fishing sites are under evacuation or close watch. And some tribal fishers have put down their nets to fight the fires.
Copyright 2017 Northwest News Network. To see more, visit Northwest News Network.
Related Stories:
Hanford Tank Waste Among Top Federal Challenges For 2018
Insitu uses engines built by Orbital Corporation to power its ScanEagle UAV. INSITU Listen Originally published Nov. 30, 2017 The unmanned aircraft industry cluster in Read More » Anna King December 18, 2017
Hanford Close To Filling Second Radioactive Waste Tunnel With Grout
Insitu uses engines built by Orbital Corporation to power its ScanEagle UAV. INSITU Listen Story originally published Dec. 7, 2017 The U.S. Department of Read More » Anna King December 18, 2017
Several Workers Possibly Contaminated At Hanford Nuclear Site
Insitu uses engines built by Orbital Corporation to power its ScanEagle UAV. INSITU Story originally published Dec. 14, 2017 A half-dozen demolition workers may Read More » Anna King December 18, 2017