The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is proposing to list the Northern California Steelhead Run as a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). This Northern California coastal steelhead run includes all naturally spawned populations of steelhead (and their progeny) in coastal river basins ranging from Redwood Creek in Humboldt County to the Gualala River, inclusive, in Mendocino County. A ‘threatened’ status means that a species is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future.

Background
In March 1998 NMFS had determined that the Northern California Steelhead run did not warrant listing because available scientific information and conservation measures indicated this run was at a lower risk of extinction than at the time it was originally proposed for listing. Now, however, NMFS is proposing to reverse its position because “the state of California has failed to implement conservation measures that NMFS considered critically important in its decision not to list the Northern California steelhead.”

Specifically, the state had agreed to make changes in its Forest Practices Rules by January 1, 2000, which NMFS views as “critically important” to reduce the threats to this steelhead run from timber harvest activities on non-Federal lands (see the Federal Register, Volume 65, Number 29, February 11, 2000).

A public hearing on this proposal will be held March 15, 2000, at the Eureka Inn, 6:30 p.m.-9 p.m. Comments on this proposal must be received no later than 5 p.m. pacific standard time, on April 11, 2000. For more information, please call Craig Wingert of NMFS at 562.980.4021 or Chris Mobley of NMFS at 301.713.1401.