A coalition of environmental groups has filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter, leaders of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and members of the Idaho Fish and Game Commission over steelhead fisheries in the state.
The groups say the ongoing fishing season for hatchery steelhead poses a threat to wild fish that are protected as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. They assert that Idaho’s Fisheries Management Evaluation Plan has expired. The document details how fisheries will be managed to avoid impacting protected fish and also allows the state to incidentally kill a small percentage of wild steelhead during fishing seasons for hatchery steelhead.
The groups — including the Conservation Angler, Idaho Rivers United, Friends of the Clearwater, Snake River Waterkeeper and Wild Fish Conservancy — want the state to shut down steelhead fishing.
LINK (via: The Lewiston Tribune)
