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FWS
completes status review for Klamath sucker populations
Fish and Wildlife 7/27/07
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The U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that it has completed a
comprehensive review of two listed fish in the Upper Klamath Basin,
the Lost River sucker and the hortnose sucker. The review recommends
that the fish should remain protected by the Endangered Species Act by
maintaining the shortnose sucker status as endangered species and by
reclassifying the Lost River sucker as threatened.
A recommendation to reclassify a species does not automatically result
in a change in classification. Any change would require a separate
formal rule-making process, including public review and comment, as
defined in section 4(a) of the ESA. No change in classification would
occur until the completion of that process.
In 2004, in a 90-day finding to a petition to delist the endangered
Lost River sucker and shortnose suckers, the FWS announced it would
initiate a 5-year review. In 2005, FWS organized an independent review
panel of scientists to assist the FWS in evaluating the status of the
two species. Based on the their report, a FWS panel review, and
updated information on sucker survival rates from the U.S. Geological
Survey in 2007, the FWS has completed 5- year reviews for the two
sucker species. The FWS has determined that the shortnose sucker is at
risk of extinction and should remain listed as endangered. The Lost
River sucker are not at risk of extinction in the foreseeable future
and should be reclassified as threatened.
“The Service remains determined to restore Klamath sucker populations
to a viable condition and recognizes the needs of the Klamath tribes
who rely on the suckers for its cultural and economic value,” said
Steve Thompson, manager of the Service’s California/Nevada Operations
Office. “The Service is open to all information and proposals for
cooperative efforts to assist the species in the Klamath Basin.”
The two species occur naturally only in the Upper Klamath Basin. Both
species live in lakes and reservoirs most of the year and migrate
upstream in the spring to spawn. The Lost River sucker, can reach 39
inches long and can live at least 45 years. The shortnose sucker can
reach 20 inches in length and live as long as 33 years.
Sucker populations increased in the early 1990s. However, between 1995
and 1997 suckers decreased significantly again due to a series of fish
die-offs, indicating that the population remains at risk. Other
factors, including poor water quality, compound the problems of the
species. Presently, important cooperative restoration efforts are
under way that could help the two species, including habitat
restoration, fish screen installation and other activities in the
Klamath Basin. The Service is a cooperative partner in
federally-funded efforts to improve the status of the two species
while maintaining the other important community interests throughout
the Basin.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency
responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife
and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the
American people. The Service manages the 97-million-acre National
Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 547 national wildlife
refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management
areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery
resources offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The
agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered
Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally
significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as
wetlands, and helps foreign and Native American tribal governments
with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal
Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars
in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and
wildlife agencies.
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Klamath Water Users Association
2455 Patterson Street, Suite 3
Klamath Falls, Oregon 97603
Phone (541) 883-6100
FAX (541) 883-8893
kwua@cvcwireless.net |