by Dr. Richard Gierak 3/6/12

I find it of interest that the DVD handed out at the NOAA meeting regarding the NOAA Coho Recovery Plan they have placed a picture of a Yellow Perch. Perhaps it is difficult to understand that both Iron Gate and Copco Reservoirs have been evaluated and said to contain biomass quantities of Yellow Perch and Yellow Crappie by California Fish & Game in 2010. Should these two species be allowed to have access to present Salmon spawning grounds they would consume all of the Salmon eggs laid and the viability of sustaining Salmon runs will likely be terminated within five years. The entire premise of removing the dams to allow Salmon to return to “historic” spawning grounds was based on conditions prior to 1918. At that time there were no Perch or Crappie to feed upon the spawning Salmon eggs. Yellow Perch are a real nemesis to Salmon of any type by consuming their eggs and fingerlings as food. Should the dam be breached the Yellow Perch will decimate any and all salmon eggs and fingerlings to feed their ravenous appetites. This sounds like a great plan to recover Salmon populations in the Klamath Basin. Thank you NMFS.

Are we to assume that the “experts” from NMFS do not realize what they have done, or, is it a slap in the face assuming that the public is ignorant or stupid. Amidst the multiple scientific reasons to not remove the dams on the Klamath this one is not even considered in their reports. The primary reason for not considering the Coho Recovery Plan is that there are no documents or historical reference to Coho being indigenous to the Klamath Basin prior to plantings in 1895. Under the Federal Endangered Species Act there is no provision to list a non-indigenous species. NMFS & NOAA should abandon any more expenditure of our money on a species that legally cannot be listed in the Klamath Basin.

Dr. Richard Gierak