Dead anchovies fill harbor 0re90n c'Ws
BROOKINGS — Boats have
been replaced by piles of dead,
stinking fish this summer as this
southern coastal town suffers
through its first anchovy die-off in
at least two decades.
Fish experts said such an event
is rare. Brookings has only seen
three mass deaths in more than 30
years, said Jim Welter, a fishing ad
viser for the Port of Brookings.
Last month, millions of the sil
very 6-inch fish sank to the bottom
of Brookings Harbor and rose to
the surface as blackened corpses,
where pelicans, cormorants, and
seagulls feasted on them.
Stacks of rotting fish three feet
deep prevented some boats from
mooring in their usual docks. More
massive die-offs are expected, Wel
ter said.
Boats with inboard motors have
had their engines clogged by the
slippery remains and U.S. Coast
Guard vessels in Brookings have
switched to outboard motors to
avoid problems, said Petty Officer
2nd Class Mark Dilenge.
Anchovy die-offs usually occur
after seasons favorable to anchovy
breeding. Anchovies, which thrive
in cold, nutrient-rich water, seek
out places such as Brookings Har
bor to feed and spawn.
When that happens, large congre
gations of fish mean “that there are
too many fish for the oxygen in the
water,” Welter said. “It happens
anywhere where so many fish get
together and use up all the oxygen.”
Welter said this year’s dry
weather could have compounded
the problem because natural rain
run-off helps aerate the water. The
Port of Brookings plans to install
an aerator where the first mass of
anchovies died to help keep fish
alive, he said.
Russ Crabtree, the port’s execu
tive director, said the fish smell is
only bad at certain times of the day
— when it is hot and at low tide.
Brookings draws about 750,000
tourists every summer, but resi
dents aren’t worried that the piles
of fish will hurt business.
“This is a working harbor,” said
Crabtree. “We have a lot of attrac
tions like music, public board
walks, specialty shops and beauti
ful beaches, but we’ve also got a
fish processing plant and sport
fishermen who work out of here.”
The Associated Press
Mannix announces
bid for governor
BEND — Former state Rep. Kevin
Mannix announced Saturday he
would seek the Republican nomina
tion for governor in 2002.
“We will begin this adventure to
gether today,” Mannix told cheering
members of the state party’s central
committee at its meeting in Bend.
A conservative Salem lawyer, Man
nix said he will make an official an
nouncement July 6 that he has entered
the race and formed a committee to
raise campaign funds. But he said Sat
urday that he wanted to make his in
tentions known to supporters.
Mannix’s announcement compli
cates a primary race that already in
cludes state Labor Commissioner Jack
Roberts and Portland lawyer Ron Sax
ton. Mannix, who made a reputation
in Salem as a tough-on-crime legisla
tor, is the oniy GOP candidate op
posed to abortion rights.
His candidacy will likely draw
support from the strong anti-abor
tion camp within the state party and
could make for a bitterly contested
primary. Mannix, however, down
played the notion that his candida
cy would spark a contentious race.
There is the question of whether a
staunch conservative can carry a
state that hasn’t voted a Republican
into the governor’s mansion since
Victor Atiyeh was re-elected in 1982.
Mannix, who lost a bid for attorney
general last year, said he wasn’t wor
ried about his ability to be elected.
The Associated Press
House approves rebate
relief bill
SALEM — Oregonians would be
able to keep their federal tax rebate
checks out of the hands of state tax
Turn to Oregon briefs, page 4
Heat
continued from page 1
stumps protruding from the water.
But Henry said the valley’s wa
terways are still open for boating,
and almost all lakes and reservoirs
have low-water ramps specifically
for these kind of situations.
He said the Blue River, Cougar
and Fern Ridge waterways may be
come inaccessible to boaters as the
summer progresses because they
don’t have low-water ramps, and
water levels certainly won’t rise
during the next three months, but
most places will remain open all
summer.
Part of the reason water levels
have not dipped to critical levels is
June’s odd weather. Although May
soaked the valley in sunshine, June
was slightly wetter than average,
said Chris Hannan, a manager at
the Oregon Climate Service. She
said the nighttime lows were espe
cially chilly during the month as
well.
Hannan said Oregon had the sec
ond driest winter on record, but
June’s overcast skies mended some
of the damage. Although the rain
did pour occasionally last month,
she said the cloudy skies helped
the most because the clouds reduce
evaporation. June’s mark of 5.5
inches was .5 inches less than nor
mal for the month.
Hannan added that unseasonable
weather during every season of the
year is not a new phenomenon in
Oregon.
“We rarely get a ‘normal’
month,” she said. “It tends to flip
flop. We aren’t setting any records
on anything we haven’t seen be
fore.”
She said Wednesday’s 90-degree
predicted high is the perfect exam
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Jessie Swimeley Emerald
Sounds of splashing and laughter filled the afternoon air as many people tried to escape the midday heat at the newly remodeled Amazon Pool at 26th and Hilyard. Long lines for the slides
didn t stop the happy swimmers from enjoying the summer day. Forecasters anticipate hot weather for the remainder of the week.
pie, as the temperature will sud
denly buck the recent trend of
cloudy skies for Fourth of July pa
rades, picnics and fireworks shows.
“There’s the old joke that sum
mer in Oregon doesn’t start until
July 5,” she said.
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While many retreat to lakes or
streams when the heat rises, plenty
of people grab their towels and
head for public pools.
Heather O’Leary, who works at the
newly remodeled Amazon Pool, said
lines could form this week as swim
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mers of all ages push the pool’s
1,100-person capacity limit. She sug
gested that people arrive between
1:30 and 1:45 p.m. to ensure they get
in for the 2-5 p.m. open swim held
Monday through Friday.
“Most of the time, when people
have to wait, they get in eventual
ly,” she said.
The Oregon Climate Service is
reporting a chance of some clouds
later in the week that could push
high temperatures down into the
75-degree range.
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