Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2007
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2007 -- (House of Representatives - May 18, 2006)
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Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.
Mr. Chairman, I rise to engage the chairman in a colloquy regarding the Klamath River Basin recovery in northern California.
Mr. Chairman, as you know, salmon fishing off the coast of California and Oregon has been shut down this year due to poor returns of Chinook salmon to the Klamath River. In 2001, farmers in the Klamath Basin were similarly shut down due to the resource problems in this watershed.
I know the chairman would agree with me that these two occurrences demonstrate the urgent need to combine peer-reviewed science with local stakeholder cooperation in order to help fish in the Klamath Basin recover so that fishing and farming in the area can continue. Mr. Chairman, you have helped with this effort in the past, and I thank you for your attention to this important issue.
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Mr. THOMPSON of California. As you know, Mr. Chairman, one important aspect of addressing Klamath issues is the development of a salmon recovery plan. And no plan will be successful without broad support and voluntary cooperation by local stakeholders. Fortunately, there has been progress in the Klamath Basin to develop voluntary recovery plans and projects for the threatened Coho salmon. This has been done collectively with farmers, tribes, fishers, and scientists. Would the chairman support me in requesting that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA fisheries use their existing authorities and the conservation funds identified in this bill for the Klamath Basin to implement the salmon recovery projects that have been developed by this local stakeholder group?
Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. I agree with the gentleman that plans that identify locally supported and on-the-ground recovery projects are an important part of helping to solve the problems. I would be pleased to support the gentleman by directing the Fish and Wildlife Service work with NOAA fisheries and the local stakeholders. Further, the Committee would be glad to facilitate a meeting as soon as possible with the Fish and Wildlife Service on this important issue. I thank the gentleman for bringing this to our attention.
Mr. THOMPSON of California. I thank the chairman for his cooperation.
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