Tens of thousands of fish dead after California wildfire washes debris into river | CBC Radio

Tens of thousands of fish are dead in California's Klamath River after ash, mud and other debris from the McKinney Fire washed into the water, contaminating it.

The fish kill was a blow for the Karuk and Yurok tribes — both Indigenous peoples based in California — who have been fighting for years to protect fragile populations of salmon in the Klamath River?

Like someone … blew up the whole river," said Brink.

That's what it looks like — they're just all floating there dead.".

The McKinney Fire, which began on July 29, has so far burned more than 233 square kilometres in the Klamath National Forest, killing four people in the hamlet of Klamath River and reducing many homes and businesses to ash. .

"People perished in this fire just trying to escape — that's how crazy it was," said Brink.

The flash flood then created a massive debris flow that washed into the river, creating what Brink describes as a "biological event" where things like algae started to grow quickly, blocking out the sun for anything underwater.

Between that and the mud, Brink says that the dissolved oxygen level in the river "crashed" to zero for two consecutive nights. .

Brink says the fish pooled by the hundreds in "certain collecting areas like back eddies and still water.".

Brink said the river and its fish carry a cultural significance to his people, the Karuk Tribe.

"If you really understand this sucker — like people that live here do — they're our elders," said Brink.

"These fish, they're like 30 years old.

The massive fish kill will also have a compounding effect on the surrounding ecosystem, Brink said.

In 2002, more than 34,000 fish — mostly adult fall Chinook salmon — died in the Klamath River, in what was then believed to be the largest observed salmon kill.

Despite the work ahead, Brink was confident that the river — and its fish — would recover. .