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The depressed 1987 and 1988 pink salmon seasons are a stark 

 example of how tenuous these "record harvests" may be. Because of a drought 

 and lowered stream flow levels, pink salmon runs were some of the weakest in 

 decades . The Alaska Department of Fish and Game was forced to close the 

 season early, stating in a news release dated August 24, 1987: "If 

 significant rain fall does not occur soon, major die-off of unspawned pink 

 salmon are likely in several large drainages that have minimal stream cover 

 due to logging." Coho salmon returned in far fewer numbers than predicted in 

 1988. After a couple of years of reduced catch levels of salmon, it is no 

 surprise that the Forest Service has refused to shoulder the blame for these 

 bad years . 



Adverse impacts from logging and road building identified by the 

 American Fisheries Society (a 115 year-old organization of professional 

 fisheries scientists) include: 1) increased erosion and sedimentation with 

 loss of habitat and smothering of aquatic organisms; 2) increased flooding 

 with loss of fish and devastation of channel stability; 3) stream obstruction 

 by logging debris; 4) major changes in stream temperatures which affect 

 salmon suirvival; and 5) increased wind damage to riparian vegetation 

 following removal of protective cover. Only the extremely depressed condition 

 of the world timber market has kept many of the highest value fish habitat 

 areas from being logged in the early 1980s. Scientists believe that the full 

 effects along a stream are not evident until 15 to 80 years after logging and 

 may continue for 150 years or more. The full effects of 30 years of runaway 

 logging on the Tongass has not yet been felt on the region's streams. 



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