Chinook Salmon Deaths
American officials say at least
twenty-thousand chinook salmon and other fish have died recently in
the Klamath River in Northern California. Scientists are not sure what caused
the die-off. But environmental groups say the Bush administration's plan to
redirect the flow of the river to provide water for crops may have caused water
levels to drop too low.
The Klamath River starts at Upper Klamath
Lake in southern Oregon and flows intoNorthern California. Then river
flows west into the Pacific Ocean. Water management of the Klamath River has
been a major dispute between farmers on one side and fishermen, environmental
groups and several Native American tribeson the other side.
Six months ago, the Bush
administration approved a plan to provide large amounts of water to
farmers near the Klamath River for irrigation. Farmers depend on water from the
upper Klamath Lake to irrigate more than eighty-thousand hectares of land.
Administration officials said the plan would satisfy farmers and honor
environmental laws. But opponents of the plan said it would severely harm the
river and its fish.
Several fishing groups and others have
taken legal action against the federal government. They said the Bush
administration gave too much water to farmers for irrigation at the risk of
thousands of salmon. Some of the salmon, such as coho, are protected under
the Endangered Species Act. However, chinook salmon do not
have federal protection. Chinook were the main victims of the recent fish
kill.
Scientists disagree about what caused to
the fish to die. Tests showed that most of the fish died of lack of oxygen due
to infections that damaged their gills. Scientists say the organisms that
caused the infection are common in the river. But rarely have the organisms led
to so many deaths.
Some scientists say warm and dry weather
last month and low water flows in the Klamath River could be major reasons for
the deaths. They say the river is too low for fish to move upstream to mate.
They say the fish are dying of disease because they are crowded into small
areas of water.
Biologists have called for more water to be
released into the river for at least six months. But so far, federal officials
have agreed only to two weeks of additional water flows.
Tenses
Chinook Salmon Deaths
Present Tense :
1. American officials say at least
twenty-thousand chinook salmon and other fish have died recently in
the Klamath River in Northern California
2. environmental groups say the
Bush administration's plan to redirect the flow of the river to provide water
for crops may have caused water levels to drop too low.
3. The Klamath River starts at
Upper Klamath Lake in southern Oregon and flows intoNorthern
California
4. Scientists say the organisms
that caused the infection are common in the river
5. Some scientists say warm and dry
weather last month and low water flows in the Klamath River could be major
reasons for the deaths.
6. They say the river is too low
for fish to move upstream to mate.
7. They say the fish are dying of
disease because they are crowded into small areas of water.
Past tense :
1. the Bush
administration approved a plan to provide large amounts of water to
farmers near the Klamath River for irrigation
2. Administration officials said
the plan would satisfy farmers and honor environmental laws.
3. But opponents of the plan said
it would severely harm the river and its fish.
4. They said the Bush
administration gave too much water to farmers for irrigation at the risk of
thousands of salmon
5. such as coho, are protected under
the Endangered Species Act.
6. Tests showed that most of the
fish died of lack of oxygen due to infections that damaged their gills
7. they are crowded into small
areas of water
future tense :
1. the plan would satisfy farmers
and honor environmental laws
2. it would severely harm the river
and its fish.
http://www.manythings.org/voa/animals/6058.html
