In an unprecedented show of unity, hundreds of members of the Yurok, Hoopa Valley, Karuk and Klamath tribes rallied in support of the removal of dams on the Klamath in front of the State Capitol on March 14. After marching from Riverfront Park in Sacramento, the group, including many attired in traditional tribal dress, converged on the capitol and urged Governor Schwarzenegger to serve as “Conan the Riparian” by increasing state efforts to restore the Klamath River’s beleaguered salmon populations. The salmon runs are now blocked by six dams owned by PacifiCorp, a subsidiary of Scottish Power based in Glasgow, Scotland. Historically, the Klamath produced up to 1.1 million adult fish annually, including chinook, coho, pink and chum salmon, as well as abundant steelhead. According to Tucker, the Klamath River fall run chinook salmon productivity is now less than 8 percent of its historical abundance. Coho salmon, once the “workhorse” of the West Coast fishing industry, are less than one percent, while chum and pink salmon are extinct. Full report here.