The 2002 Klamath River fish kill occurred on the Klamath River in California in September 2002. Over 70,000 adult chinook salmon were killed when returning to the river to spawn,[1] making it the largest salmon kill in the history of the American west. The kill resulted from water diversions to Klamath Basin farmers and ranchers during a drought year. The House Natural Resources Committee investigated United States Vice President Dick Cheney for having released extra water to ranchers for possible political gain.[2]