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Dead fish may mean earlier water release Scientists hope to control disease By MELISSA MARTIN Several hundred dead fish floating in the lower Rogue River canyon have prompted biologists to ask the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to release more water from Lost Creek Lake earlier than planned. The Corps of Engineers may increase the river's flow by 50 percent - an additional 600 cubic feet per second - on Wednesday instead of waiting for the scheduled flow increase on Aug. 10. State biologists recently counted between 170 and 180 fish carcasses. The fish apparently died from columnaris, a bacterial disease that kills fish by attacking the respiratory system, said Mike Evenson, district fish biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. "It's in the water virtually most of the time, but until you get elevated water temperatures, it doesn't become active enough to kill fish," Evenson said. While the official count of dead fish is about 200, a state employee counted at least 500 salmon carcasses while floating the lower Rogue River canyon on a four-day recreation trip that ended Sunday. "They were everywhere on the entire float, but especially just below Rainie Falls," said Forbes Jonasson, a biology aide in Gold Beach. "They'd get washed into an eddy and be in big piles. If you were sitting on the shore, you could watch them floating by. "I've done this float every year for a long time and I've never seen it to this extent," he said. Jonasson saw evidence of bears feeding on the fish and experienced another unusual event - a lack of bear activity at his camp sites. "We assumed it was because the bear had so many salmon to eat," he said. It's not a surprise to biologists. "We knew the risk was fairly high at this point," Evenson said. The lower canyon can become a salmon graveyard because it's there that water temperatures reach their highest point in the 35-mile wild and scenic stretch between Agness and Grave Creek, 70 miles from the river's mouth at the Pacific Ocean. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists recently recorded a high of 79 degrees near Agness. By comparison, the water is released into the river at Lost Creek Dam more than 100 miles away at a cool 55 degrees. On July 10, biologists took an official count and found between 170 and 180 salmon carcasses in the lower canyon, Evenson said. They are using that information to petition the Oregon Water Resources Department and the Army Corps of Engineers to increase flows earlier than planned. The Corps of Engineers could increase flows from 1,200 to 1,800 cfs using water set aside for emergencies, said Jim Buck, operations manager. This is one of the driest water years on record and may surpass the record set in 1977. "The real concern is if we have back-to-back dry years," Buck said. "This carryover will get us through this year with no problem. But if we have a another dry year, it will be very challenging." The dead fish represent the tail end of the spring run. A river level plan established by state and federal agencies this year helped most of the fish to survive, according to Buck. "Looking back, the spring Chinook run was exceptionally successful with minimal mortality," Buck said. "We were very pleased." Reach reporter Melissa Martin at 776-4497, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.