Feds list Puget Sound steelhead as threatened species
May 7th, 2007 - 8:01am
(Seattle) -- The National Marine Fisheries Service has listed
Puget Sound steelhead as a "threatened" species under the
Endangered Species Act.
The agency proposed the listing a year to cover naturally
spawned steelhead from river basins in Puget Sound, Hood Canal and
the eastern half of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Agency biologists say the decline in the steelhead population
has been widespread, likely because of degraded habitat, man-made
barriers, unfavorable ocean conditions and harmful hatchery
practices.
The steelhead in today's listing include more than 50 stocks of
summer- and winter-run fish. The Skagit and Snohomish rivers
support the largest populations.
An "endangered" species is in danger of extinction. A
"threatened" species is likely to become endangered within the
foreseeable future.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration spokesman Brian
Gorman says this is the second listing for a Puget Sound fish after
Chinook salmon in 1999. The listing also is unusual because it's in
an urban area.
Gorman says the steelhead listing is likely to redouble efforts
to improve the water quality of Puget Sound.
Email This Story
LATEST NEWS ITEMS:
