I haven't had much confidence that the current administration would put the coho back on the endangered species list, but it's still not happy news.
federal judge in Oregon nullified that listing in 2001, using the argument that wild coho were not endangered because tens of millions of genetically similar fish were being bred in hatcheries. That ruling, which the Bush administration chose not to appeal, has been described by salmon biologists as scientifically unsound.Of course, they failed to take into account the biggest threat to the species:
The Bush administration said 18 months ago it would re-list the coho, but on Tuesday said there is now no need. Federal officials said moves by Oregon to restrict fishing of wild coho and to cut the production of hatchery fish that compete with them for food have helped save the species, which migrates from small rivers and streams along the coast of Oregon.
A modest recovery of Oregon Coast coho after 2000 was primarily the result of a dramatic improvement in ocean conditions for all salmon, said Bill Pearcy, a fisheries biologist and professor emeritus at Oregon State University, who served on another scientific team that studied salmon recovery. Pearcy said those ocean conditions have deteriorated.
Federal spending to improve stream habitat for spawning and migrating coho in Oregon was cut sharply last year. Reeves said considerable restoration has been accomplished, but "it is not yet making a dent in the problem" of habitat loss as a result of urban and rural development.
Categories: salmon | endangered species
