FWS Declares Longfin Smelt an Endangered Species
The Fish and Wildlife Service has added the longfin smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthys), a fish species found off the Pacific Coast, to the list of endangered and threatened wildlife. The designation, and resulting import and export restrictions, will be effective Aug. 29, it said in a notice.
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The species occupies the San Francisco Bay estuary and areas of the Pacific Ocean out to the Farallon Islands. Threats to the species include habit alteration, reduced freshwater flows and increased water temperatures, among other factors.
"As a result of our review of the best scientific and commercial data available on the Bay-Delta longfin smelt, we have determined that the [distinct population segment (DPS)]’s resiliency is low. Numerous decades of declining abundance indices for the Bay-Delta longfin smelt document the inability of the DPS to rebound during more favorable environmental conditions and respond to the threats it is facing in the contemporary San Francisco Bay estuary," FWS said.