The fish need the water, the farmers and ranchers need the water, and the fish win. Because coho salmon are on the Endangered Species List in the region, and the Scott and Shasta Rivers are important to their survival.
The State of California put emergency rules in place governing groundwater around those rivers, and the people in agriculture take exception.
We hear the environmental side of the issue in this interview. Craig Tucker, Natural Resources Policy Advocate for the Karuk Tribe, lays out the importance of the water for the fish and the broader ecosystem, joined by Brook Thompson, Environmental Engineer with Save California Salmon and Yurok and Karuk tribal member.