Global warming leads to listing of Pacific Smelt

Into the mid 1900s, Pacific smelt arrived in such abundance this time of year in Washington's Cowlitz River that tribal fishermen could rake them out of the water. This year, the smelt, or "eulachon," appeared on one Friday afternoon, said Nathan Reynolds, Cowlitz Indian Tribe ecologist. For the tribe's annual eulachon ceremony on March 6, there were no smelt to catch. That alarming trend is the backdrop for the Obama administration's decision, announced Tuesday, to list the Pacific smelt population that frequents the Columbia River as threatened, adding another fish to the Columbia's 13 listings of salmon and steelhead under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. The Columbia River Fishermen's Protective Union opposed the listing, saying the fish have shown resilience. NOAA's announcement didn't list fishing among the threats to Pacific smelt. It did include climate change, which Griffin said seems to be diminishing the plankton the smelt feed on in their traditional range...read more