MARQUETTE -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced a 12-month finding on a petition to list the coaster brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) as endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. The petition also asked that critical habitat be designated for the species.
According to a May 18, 2009, article in the Duluth News Tribune, environmental groups have sought federal protection since 2006 for the native fish now found only in Lake Superior near a few streams.
"Coaster brook trout are brook trout that spend a portion of their life cycle in the Great Lakes," the article states. "At one time, there were more than 50 runs in the U.S. waters of Lake Superior. They also were found in Lakes Huron and Michigan, where they now are extinct.
"Today, there are only four known wild populations in the U.S. waters of Lake Superior, all in Michigan -- one in the Salmon Trout River in the Upper Peninsula and three on Isle Royale."*
The Salmon Trout River is now threatened by Kennecott Minerals / Rio Tinto's proposed sulfide mine for nickel and copper.
The article also notes that USFWS "determined that the coaster is not a 'distinct population' from other brook trout and that it doesn’t deserve special designation because the overall brook trout population is not in peril."
From the USFWS: "After review of all available scientific and commercial information, we find that the coaster brook trout is not a listable entity under the Act, and therefore, listing is not warranted. We ask the public to continue to submit to us any new information that becomes available concerning the taxonomy, biology, ecology, and status of coaster brook trout and to support cooperative conservation of coaster brook trout within its historical range in the Great Lakes."
Editor's Notes:
* For the complete online article, go to: http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/120559/
This update is courtesy Save the Wild UP.
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