Oregon is about to reach an environmental milestone; the tiny minnow, which was considered as one of the threatened species, is about to be taken off the list of the U.S Endangered Species Act protection due to its increasing population.
The Oregon chub is classified as a minnow, growing to at most 3 inches long.
Robyn Thorson, regional director of U.S Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), announced on Tuesday that the proposal will be finalized in 60 days after public discussion.
The disappearance of the fish was caused by the prevalent draining of their habitat as needed by efforts to control flooding and bring irrigation to the cities. The remaining population that survived the eradication of their habitat became prey to the bass which were also introduced in the waters of the Willamette Valley in Oregon.
However, according to Brian Bangs, biologist from the Oregon Department Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), the Oregon chub was easier to save compared to other threatened species. This is due to the fact that the fish thrives in small places and pockets of water, and their habitat is not affected by other activities such as hydroelectric power plants and illegal logging.
The plan to save the Oregon chub focuses on the importance of cooperation of the landowners and their help in helping the fish to breed, transferring the fish in safer places, and in restoring the habitats of the minnow. Private landowners were also invited to introduce the minnow to their properties and to adhere to the guidelines that will ensure that the introduction of the minnow will not have any implications with how they use their land. The U.S Army Corps of Engineers have also agreed to pattern the water releases of dams after the natural flow of the waters in the river.
"We managed to figure out a way to provide for the habitat of the chub in some subset of its range in the Willamette Valley in a way that was economically compatible with landowners, agriculture and other commodity-type development," said ODFW director Paul Henson to Businessweek. "Twenty years might seem like a long time (to get it off the endangered list). On the other hand, if you think of the 150 years of habitat modification that went on before, it is pretty darn quick."
