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Sierra Club Lawsuits

Protecting Steelhead Salmon in the Northwest

Case Updates:

August 1, 2004

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) recently conducted a count of steelhead salmon and determined that it should be classified as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. However, a partnership of industry groups has challenged the listing, arguing that the NMFS should have counted other populations in its census, including steelhead salmon that are currently being raised as part of fish farms. The group also argues that rainbow trout, which are native to the same river systems, are biologically the same as the steelhead and should also be included in the official census. It didn’t take much for the Sierra Club to realize that this is just plain fishy science. The Club has joined a coalition of environmental groups to ensure that the steelhead salmon (and by salmon we mean salmon, not trout) remain protected.

Details and Documents: