Time Added For Public Comment

Tue., Oct. 29, 1996

From Staff Reports

The public comment period on the decision whether to list the West Coast steelhead as threatened or endangered has been extended two months.

The National Marine Fisheries Service has moved the comment deadline from Nov. 7 to Jan. 6. One more public hearing is scheduled for Dec. 3 in Pocatello.

On Aug. 9, the agency ruled that the Idaho, Washington, Oregon and California steelhead populations warranted protection under the Endangered Species Act.

The agency has until next August to make a final decision.

At least 23 steelhead stocks are now extinct and another 43 are at risk of extinction. Most steelhead populations on the West Coast are in decline, according to the fisheries service.

The abundance of steelhead in the Snake River Basin has declined to less than a fifth of historic levels.

Written comments can be submitted to the National Marine Fisheries Service, Northwest Region, 525 NE Oregon St., Suite 500, Portland 97232. , DataTimes

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