The move comes roughly 30 years after conservation groups began petitioning for the fish species.
The formerly abundant native fish has seen its population plummet in recent years and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed protecting the San Francisco Bay population under the Endangered Species Act."After a review of the best scientific and commercial information available, we find that listing the is warranted," said The Service.
In the past, the service delayed identification and protection of critical habitat, moves which will require future action by groups like the Center and Baykeeper. Their decline has been attributed to construction and water diversion, which have slashed freshwater flow into the bay by roughly 53 percent — and by more than 70 percent in the winter and spring in recent years.
“Wildlife officials have dawdled and refused to protect longfin smelt for a quarter century. Meanwhile, more and more water diversions suck the life out of Central Valley rivers," Miller said. A state plan to divert fresh water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta would cause more damage, said the center.