Wednesday January 11, 2023
Courthouse News Service —
The Biden administration said Tuesday it will consider adding Chinook salmon in Oregon and Northern California to the endangered or threatened species lists.
“Based on information provided by the petitioners, as well as information readily available in our files, we find that hatcheries and climate change may be posing threats to the continued existence of SONCC Chinook salmon,” the notice from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, part of the Department of Commerce, said.
The decision comes in response to a petition from three nonprofit organizations — the Native Fish Society, Center for Biological Diversity, and Umpqua Watersheds — filed this past August, and is based on a 90-day review. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will now conduct a longer review, expected to be concluded in August of this year, before deciding whether or not the species — the largest of the salmonids — is eligible for protected status. Should it clear that hurdle, there would still be a proposed listing rule and final public comment period before the California and Oregon Chinook makes the list.