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<P class=MsoNormal><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place w:st="on"><SPAN
class=articletitle1><B><FONT face=Tahoma color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">KLAMATH
RIVER</SPAN></FONT></B></SPAN></st1:place><SPAN class=articletitle1><B><FONT
face=Tahoma color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"> SALMON HEALTH
ISSUES:<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
/><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN class=articletitle1><B><FONT face=Tahoma color=black
size=4><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">Meeting pares down a
parasite plague<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><SPAN
class=articletitle1><B><FONT face=Tahoma color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">Eureka</SPAN></FONT></B></SPAN></st1:place></st1:City><SPAN
class=articletitle1><B><FONT face=Tahoma color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"> Times-Standard –
2/3/06<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN class=articletitle1><B><FONT face=Tahoma color=black
size=4><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">By John Driscoll,
staff writer</SPAN></FONT></B></SPAN><SPAN class=articletitle1><B><FONT
face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">ARCATA --
Fish health experts convened Thursday to sort out what's known -- and what isn't
known -- about two parasites plaguing salmon on the <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">lower Klamath</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">River</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">The
unusual parasites can be found in the majority of young chinook salmon in the
lower river, and can cause fatal diseases that have claimed tens of thousand of
fish in recent years. But the parasites' complicated life history and effects,
as well as water quality problems and ocean conditions, make deciphering their
role in struggling salmon runs tricky. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">”These
fish have evolved with this parasite,” said Scott Foott with the U.S. Fish and
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Wildlife</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceName w:st="on">California-Nevada</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Fish</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Health</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Center</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, “it's just a
question of how much of it is out there.” <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">The group
met at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Humboldt</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">State</st1:PlaceType> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> for the second year to share
research and pave the way for future studies and coordination between agencies,
tribes and scientists. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">The
parasites Ceratomyxa shasta and Parvicapsula minibicornis can damage the
intestines and kidneys of young chinook migrating out of the river.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">But while
they have been killing little fish for years, outbreak go almost unnoticed,
unlike the obvious and widely covered demise of up to 68,000 adult fish in the
fall of 2002. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">C. shasta
and P. minibicornis can be found in many of the major river systems in the West.
They appear to have become significantly more abundant in the Klamath in the
last decade, Foott said, but they are not being found in the river's
tributaries. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">Both
parasites have an alternate host in a 2- to 3-millimeter-long polychaete worm,
which could offer a clue on how to manage the diseases they cause, said Jerri
Bartholomew, a researcher with <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Oregon</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">State</st1:PlaceType>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. The worms are
especially abundant in certain parts of the river. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">But what
matters more is how many of the worms in a specific spot are infected with the
parasites, Bartholomew said. For example, near Keno Dam, the worms are prolific,
but uninfected, and so are most of the fish in those areas. But in the lower
river, the worms are fewer but more infected. So are nearly all the fish there,
many of which then die. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">”There's
something very different going on in the lower river from the upper river,”
Bartholomew said. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">Two things
appear clear. One, the longer fish are exposed to water with parasite spores,
the less resistance they have to them. Two, the higher the water temperature,
the more abundant the parasites. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">Bartholomew
said the effects of flow -- low flows were a key factor in the 2002 fish kill --
are difficult to separate from the effects of temperature. However, lower flows
during fish migration may increase exposure, concentrate infection into certain
areas and increase the worm host's distribution and abundance, she said.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">In 2004
and 2005, Ken Nichols and others with Fish and Wildlife examined different
reaches on the river. In 2005, nearly 90 percent of the fish sampled were
infected with one of the parasites -- 65 percent of them severely. Most often,
they were also infested with the other parasite. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">”The
combination of two parasites is not helping,” Nichols said.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">Key to
understanding the relationships between salmon, the parasites and the polychaete
worm is being able to detect its presence quickly. A new method created by
Bartholomew and co-worker Sasha Hallett can detect even the smallest fraction of
a parasite spore in a water sample, according to a summary provided at the
workshop. #<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN class=insideheadline1><B><FONT face="Times New Roman"
color=#333592 size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><A
href="http://www.times-standard.com/fastsearchresults/ci_3472246">http://www.times-standard.com/fastsearchresults/ci_3472246</A></SPAN></FONT></B></SPAN><SPAN
class=insideheadline1><B><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Tom Stokely<BR>Principal Planner<BR>Trinity Co.
Planning/Natural Resources<BR>PO Box 2819<BR>190 Glen Rd.<BR>Weaverville, CA
96093-2819<BR>530-623-1351, ext. 3407<BR>FAX 623-1353<BR><A
href="mailto:tstokely@trinityalps.net">tstokely@trinityalps.net</A> or <A
href="mailto:tstokely@trinitycounty.org">tstokely@trinitycounty.org</A></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>