§ 460ss — Findings

The Congress finds that— (1) the Klamath and Trinity Rivers have been placed under the California and National Wild and Scenic Rivers Systems to protect their outstanding anadromous fishery values; (2) the Klamath and Trinity Rivers provide fishery resources necessary for Indian subsistence and ceremonial purposes, ocean commercial harvest, recreational fishing, and the economic health of many local communities; (3) floods, the construction and operation of dams, diversions and hydroelectric projects, past mining, timber harvest practices, and roadbuilding have all contributed to sedimentation, reduced flows, and degraded water quality which has significantly reduced the anadromous fish habitat in the Klamath-Trinity River System; (4) overlapping Federal, State, and local jurisdictions, inadequate enforcement of fishery harvest regulations, and ineffective fishery management have historically hampered fishery conservation efforts and prevented the Federal Government and the State of California from fulfilling their responsibilities to protect the rivers’ anadromous fishery values; (5) the Klamath-Trinity fall chinook salmon populations have declined by 80 percent from historic levels and steelhead trout have also undergone significant reductions; (6) Klamath River Basin Fisheries Resource Plan has been developed by the Secretary acting through the Bureau of Indian Affairs; (7) the Klamath Salmon Management Group, a group of agencies with fishery management responsibility, has established, in cooperation with the users of the Klamath-Trinity River Basin fishery resources, a sound framework for the future coordination of fishery harvest management; (8) a new Klamath-Trinity River Basin Management authority, composed of the Klamath Salmon Management Group and representatives of users of the fishery resources of the Klamath-Trinity River Basin, is needed to ensure more effective long-term coordination of the Klamath-Trinity River fisheries under sound conservation and management principles that ensure adequate spawning escapement; and (9)