|Bull Trout Officially Endangered since 1999|
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a new plan for bringing back the declining bull trout in Oregon, Washington and three other Western states. But conservationists say it won’t actually restore the fish’s population to a healthy level.
Bull trout are predators native to streams across the Northwest. In some places, bull trout were purposely over-fished to keep them from eating precious salmon.
Bull trout need cold, clean water and the ability to move around within their habitat. So, officials say erosion, the removal of trees and vegetation that keep streams cool, and barriers to fish passage such as culverts and dams have all contributed to their decline. And climate change poses an additional threat.
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