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Page 26
4 CONCLUSIONS
The NRC Committee on Endangered and Threatened Fishes in the Klamath River Basin has studied the USBR biological assessment on the shortnose and Lost River suckers, the
USFWS biological opinion with its reasonable and prudent alternative (RPA) on these same species, and supporting documentation. The committee also has heard oral presentations and open
public comment on the issues related to these endangered fishes in the Klamath River Basin. The committee finds strong scientific support for the requirements of the RPA except for the
requirement for specified minimum lake levels in Upper Klamath Lake. Extensive field data on the fish and environmental conditions in Upper Klamath Lake do not provide scientific support
for the underlying premise of the RPA that higher lake levels will help maintain or lead to the recovery of these two species. At the same time, operation of Upper Klamath Lake at mean
minimum levels below the recent historical levels (1990–2000), as could occur through implementation of the USBR assessment, would pose unknown risks, because these conditions have
not been observed over the last 10 years, the interval over which good environmental documentation is available. The present scientific record is consistent with use of operational
principles in effect between 1990 and 2000.
The NRC committee has studied the USBR biological assessment on the Southern Oregon/Northern California Coasts evolutionary significant unit of the coho salmon in the Klamath River Basin
and the accompanying biological opinion prepared by NMFS, its RPA requirements, and supporting documentation. The committee also heard oral presentations of scientists contributing
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Page 26
4 CONCLUSIONS
The NRC Committee on Endangered and Threatened Fishes in the Klamath River Basin has studied the USBR biological assessment on the shortnose and Lost River suckers, the
USFWS biological opinion with its reasonable and prudent alternative (RPA) on these same species, and supporting documentation. The committee also has heard oral presentations and open
public comment on the issues related to these endangered fishes in the Klamath River Basin. The committee finds strong scientific support for the requirements of the RPA except for the
requirement for specified minimum lake levels in Upper Klamath Lake. Extensive field data on the fish and environmental conditions in Upper Klamath Lake do not provide scientific support
for the underlying premise of the RPA that higher lake levels will help maintain or lead to the recovery of these two species. At the same time, operation of Upper Klamath Lake at mean
minimum levels below the recent historical levels (1990–2000), as could occur through implementation of the USBR assessment, would pose unknown risks, because these conditions have
not been observed over the last 10 years, the interval over which good environmental documentation is available. The present scientific record is consistent with use of operational
principles in effect between 1990 and 2000.
The NRC committee has studied the USBR biological assessment on the Southern Oregon/Northern California Coasts evolutionary significant unit of the coho salmon in the Klamath River Basin
and the accompanying biological opinion prepared by NMFS, its RPA requirements, and supporting documentation. The committee also heard oral presentations of scientists contributing
OCR for page 27
Page 27
to research on this issue and open public testimony. The RPA contains requirements for minimum flows in the Klamath River below Iron Gate Dam, limitations on ramping rate below Iron Gate
Dam, and interagency coordination. The committee finds reasonable scientific support for the suppression of ramping rates as given in the RPA and for coordination. The committee does not
find scientific support for the proposed minimum flows as a means of enhancing the maintenance and recovery of the coho population. The proposal of USBR, however, as given in its biological
assessment, could result in more extreme suppression of flows than has been seen in the past and cannot be justified. On the whole, there is no convincing scientific justification at present
for deviating from flows derived from operational practices in place between 1990 and 2000.
The conclusions of the NRC committee as presented above apply to interim management of the Klamath Project. The committee will make a separate analysis of the scientific evidence, including
any new evidence, supporting various actions that might result in improvements in stocks of endangered suckers and coho salmon in the Klamath River Basin over the long term.
Representative terms from entire chapter:
river basin
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