NOAA finds petition to list Chinook salmon in Upper Klamath and Trinity rivers basin may be warranted

NOAA's Fisheries Service announced that it will decide whether or not to list Chinook salmon in the Upper Klamath and Trinity rivers basin as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act after the agency found that a petition to list the fish contained substantial scientific information that warrants federal review, reports www.megafishnet.com with reference to NOAA.

NOAA's Fisheries Service received the petition from the Center for Biological Diversity, Oregon Wild, Environmental Protection Information Center and The Larch Company, on January 28, 2011. Under the ESA, if a petition presents substantial scientific information, a status review of the species must be conducted by a biological review team of federal, state and academic experts.

As part of the review, NOAA's Fisheries Service is asking the public for information pertaining to this species and its habitat to assist in completing the status review. The review team composed of scientists with diverse backgrounds, will use the best available scientific and commercial information to evaluate the status of the species.

By January 28, 2012, NOAA's Fisheries Service will make a finding, which will be published in the Federal Register, as to whether or not Chinook salmon in the Upper Klamath and Trinity rivers basin should be listed as threatened or endangered. If so, a proposed rule will be published requesting public comment on the proposed listing and any proposed critical habitat.

Submissions supporting or opposing the action without supporting information will be noted but not considered in making a determination based on the best available scientific and commercial data.