May 14, 2007--Rio Grande cutthroat trout now endangered species candidate (Environmental News Service)
The Rio Grande cutthroat trout is declining and its conservation status is "cause for concern" the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said today. After a review of this native fish's situation, the Service is recommending that the subspecies be formally proposed for protection under the Endangered Species Act. But the agency will not provide federal safeguards at this time. Instead, the trout has been added to the list of candidate species for protection under the Act. It is number 281 on the candidate list. "As funding and workloads permit," the Service says its biologists will prepare a proposal for public review that advises listing the trout as either threatened or endangered. The recommendation follows a 1998 petition and three lawsuits brought by the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity, based in Tucson, Arizona.
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