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Fed plan would protect local fish Steelhead would be listed as threatened By Mark Freeman Federal fish managers, as expected, have proposed threatened species status for the native steelhead in Southern Oregon and Northern California, throwing into jeopardy sport-fishing on the Rogue and Chetco rivers as well as land and water operations that may have an impact on the sea-going trout. The National Marine Fisheries Service has hastily arranged public hearings Thursday � one in Gold Beach and another in Eureka, Calif. � to discuss its new proposal for adding federal Endangered Species Act protection for wild steelhead spawning in streams from Port Orford south into the Klamath River basin. To comment on the proposal Here are ways for people to offer public comment on the National Marine Fisheries Service proposal to list wild steelhead as a threatened species in Southern Oregon and Northern California. PUBLIC MEETINGS � One public meeting is planned from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Gold Beach City Hall, 29592 Ellensburg Ave. A second will be held simultaneously at the Eureka Inn, 518 Seventh St., Eureka. WRITE A LETTER �Written comments will be accepted through 5 p.m. March 5. They should be mailed to Chief, Protected Resources Division, NMFS, Northwest Region, 525 N.E. Oregon St., Suite 500, Portland, OR, 97232-2737. FAX � Comments may also be faxed to 503-230-5435 by the 5 p.m. March 5 deadline. LEARN MORE � More information about this and other wild salmon and steelhead news can be found on the National Marine Fisheries Service Web site at: http://www.nwr.noaa.gov The agency�s actions came at the behest of a federal appeals court judge who ordered in October that the fisheries service reconsider its March 1998 decision not to list wild steelhead as threatened in the region, dubbed the "Klamath Mountains Province" by the agency. The ruling, which affects all steelhead from Port Orford to the Klamath River, including the Rogue River, forces the agency to make a new decision by March 31. NMFS lost its bid for an extension, forcing agency biologists into holding a brief public-comment period to meet the deadline. "It�s fairly inevitable that, by the end of March, they�ll be listed," said Bob Hooton, steelhead program manager for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, which is fighting the listing. Some populations of steelhead, such as winter steelhead in the Rogue and Chetco rivers, are healthy and strong, Hooton said. ODFW biologists insist studies and surveys done in the 1990s show that the region�s wild steelhead, especially those in Southern Oregon, are healthy and at negligible risk of extinction. According to a letter sent last week to NMFS from ODFW Fish Division Director Ed Bowles, ODFW computer modeling done this year suggests Southern Oregon streams contain 69,000 to 83,000 wild steelhead annually � close to historical numbers and stronger than other areas of Oregon where wild steelhead are not federally protected. But other runs are not faring as well and there is very little data on the health of steelhead on the California side of the region, he said. In NMFS� announcement of its proposal in the Federal Register, federal biologists note the lack of data for California and some Southern Oregon streams as well, indicating only the Rogue is well-documented and that its status has not changed appreciably in the late 1990s. In fact, this "paucity of available data" compels NMFS to propose listing now, the Federal Registry states. But the agency hopes it will hear more information in the next two weeks to permit a "more rigorous assessment" prior to making a final decision on a listing in late March, according to the Federal Registry. "The whole thing could come down on the fact that there�s so much uncertainty in California that Oregon would get swept in," Hooton said. "That�s the concern." The concern for Barbara Ullian, whose Siskiyou Regional Education Project is one of the parties in lawsuits to force the listing, is that the government has delayed the inevitable too long and the fish�s freshwater habitat has continued to be degraded by such practices as mining and water withdrawals. In its proposal, NMFS also cites dam operations and logging as other causes for degrading steelhead habitat, primarily in spawning and rearing tributaries. "It�s about time these fish were listed and protected under the ESA," said Ullian, of Grants Pass. "These steelhead runs in the Klamath Mountains Province are irreplaceable." NMFS biologists could not be reached for comment Monday, a federal holiday. NMFS biologists had originally decided against listing the wild summer and winter steelhead in the region, in part because of current fish-protection plans in place for wild coho salmon, a cousin of the steelhead that is already listed in the region as a threatened species. The Siskiyou Project and a coalition of sport-fishing and conservation groups sued NMFS, and won on appeal last October. One great fear among ODFW biologists and some sport-angling groups is that a listing would ban steelhead fishing on some healthy populations of wild steelhead, particularly winter steelhead in the Rogue and Chetco rivers. Ullian called these concerns a "red herring" because federal biologists can look at distinct fish populations and allow sport-fishing to continue under ESA provisions. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.