Low Dam Releases Harm Coho Salmon, Tribe Says in New Lawsuit

Restricted dam releases violate the Endangered Species Act’s prohibition against taking threatened coho salmon in the Trinity River in Northern California, according to a new complaint the Yurok Tribe filed against the US Bureau of Reclamation.

The Bureau is violating the ESA by maintaining extremely low, static winter flows from the Trinity River Division, a systems of dams, tunnels, and other works that provides water to the Central Valley Project. The low winter flows are modifying salmon habitat and harming coho salmon in two ways, according to the complaint filed Wednesday in the US District Court for the Northern District ...