Klamath River salmon disease on upswing during drought

摘要

An annual plague in Klamath River salmon may be getting worse as a drought wears on.The Klamath River is important to the West Coast commercial salmon fishery because the health of its runs helps determine quotas and seasons along much of the coast. The past two years of drought appear to have allowed the host of the disease Ceratomyxashasta to spread, and young fish are being infected earlier than in previous years. Some 90 percent of young Chinook and coho salmon in "hot zones" — mainly below lowermost Iron Gate dam — are killed by C. shasta, which targets the intestines of salmon.