The Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the federal government Thursday to protect two declining freshwater fish species found in Oregon and California.
In the petitions, the Center urged the Fish and Wildlife Service to list the Umpqua chub and the northern roach under the Endangered Species Act, citing steep population declines linked to habitat degradation and threats from nonnative predators. Both fish are small minnows.
The Umpqua chub, found only in the Umpqua River Basin in southwestern Oregon, saw a decrease in distribution over the past three decades due to habitat loss from wetland drainage and threats from invasive smallmouth bass, the center said.
The group also said the once widespread northern roach native to northeastern California’s Pit River basin and southern Oregon’s Goose Lake tributaries have disappeared from much of the area and recent surveys found only few remained in certain streams.
