Ron Reed, cultural biologist of the Karuk Tribe, talked about the current efforts to restore the Klamath, including decommissioning Iron Gate and other dams that stop fish from migrating upriver and expressed his solidarity with commercial and recreational anglers facing potential season closures.

“Brothers, I recognize your pain because it is the same pain I see among my people, the Karuk Tribe,” said Reed. “We’re in this thing to together, we're all working on these issues to restore the Klamath. I will march with you folks gathered here any place, anytime!”

Reed, who is one of 10 tribal members who fish with traditional dip nets in the Klamath River below Ishi Pishi Palls, said the tribe of 3000 people was only able to dip net 200 fish in 2005, the second lowest catch on record. During the previous year the tribe caught only 100 fish, the lowest on record.

After he spoke, two members of the tribe, David Arwood and Rabbitt Brink, sang a traditional song to drum accompaniment in solidarity with the salmon fishermen. A big outpouring of applause followed the song.

One speaker after one another exhorted anglers to sign petitions and letters urging their Congressman, Senators and the White House to fix the water problems on the Klamath and to bring down the dams. “We have to do something about restoring the water and bringing down dams on the Klamath down right now. We must get the politicians off their butts,” said Bob Strickland, president of United Anglers of California.

Richard Pool of the American Sportfishing Association emphasized, “Our organization will use every resource it has to get a salmon season this year and to restore the Klamath. Our problem is not here with the PFMC, but in Washington D.C.”

Pool was accompanied by Gordon Robertson of ASA, who after testifying at the council hearing that night, had to fly back to Washington to attend a meeting of a Congressional Delegation with Department of Commerce officials to urge them to open salmon season this year. v“Sonny” Maas, a commercial fishermen from Fort Bragg who has persistently challenged the DFG and federal government about the legitimacy of their ocean abundance and Klamath River spawning escapement estimates, contended that the Bush administration’s proposal to close down salmon fishing was the result of their plan to promote offshore aquaculture.

“Mr. Bush wants to subsidize corporate fish farms along our coast and also to shut down the hatcheries on the river,” said Maas. “We must get together and tell our Legislators that they should give salmon fishermen their traditional seasons and fix the dams on the Klamath.”

Other speakers include Jim Martin, West Coast Director of the RFA, Dave Bitts of the PCFFA, Chris Hall, president of the Coastside Fishing Club, Duncan McClean, a commercial fishermen from Half Moon Bay, and Petey Brucker of the Salmon River Restoration Council.

After the rally, the Klamath Media Collective “dam removal squad” took down a mock effigy of Iron Gate Dam in the parking lot.

Mike Hudson of the Small Boat Commercial Fishermen's Association, who was responsible for organizing the historic event, pointed out that each person that took off work to come to the rally represented another 1000 people who couldn’t come.

The PFMC hearing regarding the three proposed options for salmon season followed the rally at 7 pm. The room was absolutely packed with anglers from the Bay Area, San Jose, Sacramento, Sonoma County, Mendocino County and other areas. There were over 600 people in the room; many of who were forced to stand because the seats were filled.

Chris Hall estimated that over 150 Coastside members had come from Half Moon Bay and other Bay area cities by bus or carpools.

Fishermen and fisherwomen at the rally and during the hearing held up a variety of colorful signs with slogans such as “Extinction is Forever,” “Salmon Means Business, “I fish, I vote, “We’ve been farmed” and “Restore the Klamath.” Some of the signs featured photos of the September 2002 fish kill on the Klamath River, caused by a change in water policy instigated by Interior Secretary Gale Norton.

At the hearing, Gordon Robertson of ASA emphasized that sportfishing is a big business in California, supporting a $4.9 billion industry providing over 43,000 jobs. “Salmon fishing is also big business in California,” said Robertson. “It supports over $184,000,000 output to the economy, conservatively.”

Like virtually everybody else that stood up to testify, he supported Option 1, the same season as 2005, and urged the Secretary of Commerce to adopt an emergency rule. He also urged the PFMC to work with NOAA fisheries to work with the Council to find a “long-term solution” of the problem.

Dan Wohlford, science director of Coastside Fishing Club, also supported Option 1, but unveiled a variation of Option 2 (2a) that would allow anglers greater fishing opportunities while at the same time restricting harvest of Klamath system fish. The proposal centered around closing the KMZ in September, spreading the harvest “more equitably over the rest of the coast,” he said.

“We support option one, but offer option 2a as a viable alternative,” he stated. “It would increase the season from 546 to 861 days and basically approach a full season off Fort Bragg, San Francisco, and Monterey.”

Larry Collins, a commercial fisherman from San Francisco, gave one of the most passionate speeches of the evening. “I’m an American food producer, not a farmer. I don’t get subsidized water to grow crops and I don’t get paid to not grow crops. Let me fish!”

It is great to see such unity between commercial, recreational and tribal fishermen. The big turnout and passionate speeches and public comments made it a very media worthy event, drawing TV stations and newspaper reporters from throughout northern California.

More Editorials By Dan Bacher