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California's Pot Farms Could Leave Salmon Runs Truly Smoked : The Salt : NPR


Stashed in: Marijuana, California, Unintended Consequences, Fish

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"I have nothing against people growing dope," he says, "but if you do, we want you to grow your crop in a way that doesn't screw up fish habitat. There is no salmon-bearing watershed at this point that we can afford to sacrifice."

Growers of marijuana often withdraw water directly from small streams and use up to 6 gallons per day per plant during the summer growing season, says Scott Bauer, a fisheries biologist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

"When you have 20,000 or 30,000 plants in a watershed, that is a lot of water," Bauer says.

Poor fishies!

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