| Endangered species protection still needed for Northern California steelhead | |
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Credit: NOAA Fisheries |
NOAA Fisheries has determined that Northern California steelhead still need protections under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) following the completion of a five-year review.
“Northern California steelhead are resilient and can recover, as long as protective efforts, including water conservation, forward-looking regulatory actions, and habitat protection, are enacted, allowing them to flourish,” NOAA Fisheries Biologist Seth Naman, who was the lead author of the review, said. |
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Although state, federal, tribal, and private efforts have restored much of the species’ habitat, ongoing climate change-related threats still pose challenges, according to NOAA Fisheries. Data is limited, but the population the government has measured has either declined or not moved over the last five years. Population estimates are below 15 percent of the government’s ESA recovery goals. |
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