Groups sue state over salmon protections

Feb 25 2008

Eureka Reporter 

A coalition of environmental and fishery groups announced Monday that it filed a suit in San Francisco Superior Court against the California Department of Fish and Game seeking to overturn new regulations it claims streamline the killing of endangered salmon.

The Garberville-based Environmental Protection Information Center , Sierra Club and California Trout allege the regulations adopted in December violate the California Endangered Species Act.
 
“California Trout fought long and hard to have coho salmon listed as endangered by the state of California ,” Brian Stranko, California Trout chief executive officer, said. “DFG has a legal obligation to protect native salmon. We are disappointed that this administration has put the interests of the logging industry above the long-term survival of coho salmon, a species clearly at risk.”
 
At the heart of the lawsuit is DFG’s move to delegate its duty to protect fish to the agency that approves logging plans, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, according to the news release.

The groups say the DFG regulations are tied to a package of new rules the state Board of Forestry adopted last year that allows the timber industry to continue “business as usual” logging practices that harm salmon habitat.
 
Coho salmon have been state listed as threatened or endangered from the Oregon border south through the San Francisco Bay since 2004, and have been listed as endangered from San Francisco to Monterey Bay since 1995.

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Source:  http://eurekareporter.com/article/080225-groups-sue-state-over-salmon-protections