The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has extended the public comment deadline to March 29 for submitting information on the status of the Rio Grande cutthroat trout, a subspecies of cutthroat trout. The results of this review will determine if the Rio Grande cutthroat trout should become a candidate for listing under the Endangered Species Act (Act).
Public and agency input on the current threats facing the species, current population information, and management activities related to the conservation of the Rio Grande cutthroat trout are requested. The Service designates species as candidates when it has sufficient information on their current and historical distribution and abundance, as well as threats to their existence, to propose them for listing as endangered or threatened under the Act.
On November 8, 2001, a settlement agreement executed by the Service and the Center for Biological Diversity was filed with the District Court of the District of Columbia. The settlement stipulates that the Service will initiate a candidate status review and make a determination concerning the results of this review by June 4, 2002. The Service will publish a final determination in the Federal Register.
The Center for Biological Diversity filed a complaint on June 9, 1999 challenging the Service
