Members of the Oregon Salmon Commission will travel to the Klamath Basin next week, at the invitation of local farmers, to learn more about the impact of the Klamath Irrigation Project on fish populations.

The two-day tour is part of a series of meetings facilitated, in part, by the Oregon Department of Agriculture in an attempt to foster better understanding and cooperation between coastal fishermen and Klamath Basin farmers in the wake of severe harvest restrictions on Chinook salmon this summer.

“We share many values with the Klamath Basin farmers and it is important for us both to develop solutions together,” Gold Beach fisherman and processor Scott Boley said in a press release. Boley also is a member of the Oregon Salmon Commission.

All commercial salmon fishing from Northern California to Florence is closed this year due to concerns about wild stocks of Klamath River fall Chinook. From Florence north to the Columbia River, there will be staggered openings with limits of 75 fish per week.

“Our goal in these talks and tours is to form an alliance between farmers and fishermen to address the issues that face us and try to find solutions,” Klamath Basin farmer Dick Carleton said. “We want to dispel the myth that this is an issue of farmers vs. fishermen when, in fact, it is not. We want to work together to find a way to put more fish in the ocean and rivers for all of us, including sport fishermen.”

The Klamath Project Tour will include stops at Upper Klamath Lake, a local farm, the Lower Klamath area - including stops in the Tulelake area of California - and a presentation at the Klamath Water Users Association office.