White Sturgeon Plan Open To Comment

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is inviting public comment on its draft recovery plan for the endangered Kootenai River white sturgeon.

The sturgeon was listed as endangered in 1994, when the population was estimated to be about 800. Most of the fish are older than 25 years, which means they were hatched before the Libby Dam was built.

The fish are restricted to 168 miles along the Kootenai River in North Idaho, Montana and Canada.

The draft plan calls for various measures to prevent extinction, including adjusting releases from the Libby Dam and stocking the river with hatchery sturgeon. The ultimate goal is to provide suitable habitat so the fish population will be self-sustaining.

The plan was developed by a team of biologists from the Kootenai Tribe, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks agency, the Bonneville Power Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Canadian government agencies and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Dates and locations for meetings in Bonners Ferry and Libby, Mont., have not yet been scheduled.

The plan is available for inspection at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 11103 East Montgomery Drive, Suite 2, Spokane, WA 99206, or at its Snake River Basin Office, 4696 Overland Road, Room 576, Boise, ID 83705.

Copies are available by writing the Idaho address or calling (208) 334-1931.

Public comment should be directed to the Snake River Basin office. , DataTimes