SPOKANE — Bull trout should remain listed as a threatened species in the Lower 48, and some populations may be studied for additional protections under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Tuesday.
The agency announced its decision after a five-year review of the status of the fish, which is found in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Nevada.
“This maintains the status quo and provides opportunities for future considerations,” said Ted Koch, a Fish and Wildlife biologist in Boise, Idaho.
Koch said a decision will be made later this year on whether to break bull trout into five distinct populations that will be evaluated separately for future protection and recovery efforts.
Environmentalists praised the decision, but said it is time to end studies and act to restore bull trout numbers. Bull trout were designated as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1998 and 1999.
A member of the salmon family, they are typically found in high mountain streams, where the water is clean and cold. Human encroachment, mining, grazing, logging and overfishing have reduced the species to about 45 percent of its range.
Five-year reviews have been rare since they were required by 1978 amendments to the Endangered Species Act.
This one was requested by former Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne — now U.S. secretary of the interior — and the Idaho congressional delegation, who contend the species is thriving in Idaho and that restrictions on logging, mining and other activities that can degrade water quality are not needed. Environmentalists had complained the review was motivated by politics, not science.
The review concluded that multiple distinct populations of bull trout might exist and that the agency should evaluate whether these require different levels of protection.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
