Two Oregon fish species were proposed for Endangered Species Act protection on Oct. 17 by the Center for Biological Diversity.
The environmental group petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the Umpqua chub and northern roach, both native to southern Oregon.
The federal agency typically conducts a review to determine if there is enough scientific information to proceed with a more detailed review, but it’s unclear how that will be impacted by the federal government shutdown.
“These two unique Pacific Northwest minnows are suffering because of the rapid decline of our freshwater habitats and they need protections now,” Jeff Miller, a senior conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement. “The good news is that we know federal Endangered Species Act protections are incredibly effective at preventing extinction. The Fish and Wildlife Service should move fast to make sure these irreplaceable fish survive.”
The Umpqua chub, seen here, has been proposed for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act.
The Umpqua chub is a small minnow found only in the waterways of the Umpqua River basin identifiable “by a distinctive upside-down heart shaped mark on top of the head behind their eyes,” the center said.
Five distinct Umpqua chub populations inhabit the Smith River, Elk Creek, Calapooya Creek-Olalla Creek, Cow Creek-South Umpqua River and North Umpqua River.
Surveys of Umpqua chub have shown a continual decrease in their distribution due to habitat loss and an increase in non-native and highly predatory smallmouth bass, the center said. Being listed on the ESA would require prioritizing actions that can help them endure.
The northern roach is a small, bronze-colored minnow that occurs only in the upper Pit River basin, upstream of the Pit River Falls in northeastern California, and in a few northern tributaries of Goose Lake in southern Oregon.
In Oregon, northern roach were formerly widespread and common in northern tributaries of Goose Lake such as Dry Creek, Drews Creek, Hay Creek, Dent Creek, Muddy Creek and Augur Creek. But re-survey efforts in 2022 and 2023 documented their disappearance, the center said. They’ve also disappeared from stream reaches in the North Fork Pit River, South Fork Pit River and mainstem Pit River from Alturas downstream to Pit River Falls in California.
Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 18 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on X at @ZachsORoutdoors and BlueSky at oregonoutdoors.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: 2 Oregon fish proposed for Endangered Species Act protections