North Coast Congressmen Mike Thompson has invited North Coast counties, U.S. congressmen and interest groups of the Klamath Basin in California and Oregon to a congressional forum to discuss the current conditions of the Klamath Basin's anadromous fisheries.

The forum will be held on Aug. 30 in the City of Eureka Council Chamber beginning at 1:30 p.m. Thompson said he organized the forum to bring all stakeholders of the Klamath together to discuss comprehensive solutions to issues related to the river's resources.

The congressman said the forum will feature an expert panel that will provide testimonies by representatives from the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California Department of Fish and Game, Humboldt State University, the Hoopa and Yurok Tribes and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration on Fisheries. County representatives and stakeholder groups have also been encouraged to give presentations.

According to United States Geological Service, the conditions facing anadromous fish of the Klamath River this summer were similar to 2002.

That fall, between 34,000 to 68,000 salmon and trout died from disease in the lower Klamath River due primarily to low water flows and high water temperatures, Thompson said.

However, recent actions by the U.S. Department of the Interior may provide much-needed relief to the Klamath's fisheries this year.

This forum will provide the Klamath Basin's stakeholders real-time updates of the river's anadromous fisheries, commercial and recreational fishing seasons and conservation programs aimed at restoring the river's salmon and steelhead stocks, Thompson said.