from the about gotdamned time dept: puget sound steelhead listed as threatened

From the Seattle PI

On Monday, the federal government decided it is time for serious changes to prevent Puget Sound steelhead from disappearing altogether.

The National Marine Fisheries Service listed the fish as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act. The agency proposed the listing just over a year ago in response to a petition from Sam Wright of Olympia.

The "threatened" listing is not as severe as the agency's strongest protection, "endangered" but it still provides substantial protections for the fish, spokesman Brian Gorman said.

"In terms of their present condition, they were in perilous shape, but it also means that they are now afforded some very serious federal protections," he said. "Other federal agencies (now) need to come to us for permission to do anything that might affect these fish."....

Heather Bartlett, spokeswoman for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, said that the most rigorous restriction available is to require sport fishermen to release wild fish. That rule is already in effect on all Puget Sound-area rivers, she said.