Prehistoric lake sturgeon is not endangered, US says despite calls from conservationists

Published 2024년 4월 22일

Tridge summary

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has decided not to list lake sturgeon as endangered or threatened, despite a petition by the Center of Biological Diversity. The agency credits stocking programs for the fish's return to areas where numbers have increased, such as the Red River of the North and the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers. However, the service acknowledges that populations are not at historical highs and that dam removals and habitat restoration are necessary. Despite concerns over warmer water from climate change, the agency believes the species can adapt. This decision allows sturgeon harvesting to continue in states like Wisconsin and Michigan, where it is tightly regulated.

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Original content

Lake sturgeon don't need Endangered Species Act protections, federal wildlife officials announced Monday, saying that stocking programs have helped the prehistoric fish return to areas where they had vanished.The decision ends the Arizona-based Center of Biological Diversity's petition filed in May 2018 asking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list lake sturgeon as endangered or threatened. Such listings would make harvesting the fish illegal, but without them, popular sturgeon harvest seasons in states such as Wisconsin and Michigan can continue.The center argued that overharvesting and deteriorating habitat have "severely depleted" the species. Dams block access to spawning and rearing habitat and water pollution and diversions have done "irreparable harm," the center said."This is a disappointing decision because though some populations are well managed, overall the lake sturgeon has suffered a drastic decline," said Tierra Curry, a senior scientist at the center. ...

Source: Phys