Service finds that delisting petition does not contain substantial new information
Federal Register Notice
90-day Finding Q&A
5-year Review Q&A
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that it will conduct an extensive review of two rare fish in the Upper Klamath Basin that currently have federal protection as endangered species, the Lost River sucker and the shortnose sucker. The announcement was made at the same time that the Service concluded that the two fish should remain protected by the Endangered Species Act during the review, saying that a petition to delist the two species does not provide substantial new information to warrant delisting.
The Service believes the study, known as a five-year review under the ESA, will be a valuable management activity. It will help the Service, other agencies and Basin stakeholders to understand more precisely the condition of the two species, assess the impact of actions now underway to help the species, and determine what is needed to assure their recovery.
"Populations of the Klamath suckers declined significantly in the last decade,"said Steve Thompson, manager of the Services California/Nevada Operations Office. "But potentially important restoration measures are under way that create optimism that the Klamath suckers can be restored to good health."
For the second time in two years, the Service has found that a petition filed by the Interactive Citizens United does not contain substantial scientific information to warrant removing the Los River sucker and the shortnose sucker from the Federal list of threatened and endangered species. The two sucker species have been federally listed as endangered since 1988.
The petition was submitted in September 12, 2001, by Richard A. Gierak, representing Interactive Citizens United. On May 12, 2002 the Service published a finding that the delisting petition did not present substantial information. This finding was challenged by the petitioners, and on September 3, 2003 the Federal District Court remanded the finding and ordered the Service to either reissue the initial finding with additional explanations or to do a status review. The Service has extensively reviewed the information provided in the petition, clarified the finding, and concluded that it should conduct a broader review.
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, then decreased significantly again due to a series of fish die-offs from 1995-97, 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 Department of Interior (DOI) has committed funding to the Klamath basin, much of which is aimed specifically at helping restoring the sucker population. The proposed FY 2005 budget submitted to Congress in January recommends significant increases in federal spending directly related to the suckers, including a $5.9 million increase in Service partnerships with other parties to restore Klamath fish habitat, $4.6 million to purchase critical Klamath lands and restore it to wetlands that helps the suckers, $2.5 for new studies of the suckers, and $2.1 million more to remove Chiloquin Dam and reopen 70 miles of sucker habitat on the Sprague River.
"The Service is determined to restore the Klamath sucker population to a viable condition, while meeting the needs of the tribes that rely on the sucker for important cultural benefits and on the local economy," said Thompson. "The Service is open to all information and proposals for cooperative efforts to assist the species in the Klamath Basin."
Further information on this announcement can be found on the Fish and Wildlife Services Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office website at http://OregonFWO.fws.gov
