Ranchers credited for helping Modoc sucker fish recover

Ranchers’ efforts at modifying their grazing practices helped a species of sucker fish recover to the point that they no longer need protection under the Endangered Species Act, federal officials say. The Modoc sucker, a small fish native to the upper Pit River drainage in southern Oregon and northeastern California, benefited from such conservation actions as habitat restoration and improved management of public and private lands, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials said. The efforts of ranchers in the Pit River watershed are “a strong demonstration of how conservation partners working together can recover an endangered or threatened species,” U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said in a statement. Fish and Wildlife proposed the sucker for delisting on Feb. 12, which begins a review that could take up to a year. The announcement followed a recent proposal to remove Endangered Species Act protections for the Oregon chub, which was the first fish ever to be proposed for delisting because of recovery, according to the agency. The Modoc sucker — which is separate from the Lost River and shortnose suckers that contributed to a water shutoff to Klamath Basin farmers in 2001 — was first listed in 1985 because its habitat had been reduced to 12.9 miles within seven streams, according to an agency news release...more