Proposal to Remove the Oregon Chub from US Endangered Species List Highlights Recovery Over Extinction

When a fish species is removed from the endangered species list, it's usually because it has gone extinct. But a little fish in Oregon is setting a new standard with its overwhelming population rebound; the Oregon chub (Oregonichthys crameri) has been proposed as the first fish to be removed from the US endangered species list due to recovery.

By the early 1990s, the Oregon chub had fallen victim to habitat loss and predation by non-native fishes, and its population reached worryingly low levels. After these threats were recognized, a concerted conservation effort between the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Army Corps of Engineers and private landowners over the last two decades led to a dramatic increase in Oregon chub populations in Willamette River Basin, the only place where the minnow-like fish is found.

The move to delist the Oregon chub from the endangered species list has been in the works for years now. It was first listed as endangered in 1993, when only eight populations of fewer than 1,000 were known. Following that, a species recovery plan was set forth and by 2010, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) changed the Oregon chub's US Endangered Species Act classification from "endangered" to "threatened."

Today, the Oregon chub's population stands at more than 150,000 fish in 80 locations in a diverse range of habitats, the US Department of the Interior said in a statement Tuesday.

"This is an excellent example of how the Endangered Species Act is intended to function - partners working together to recover an endangered species," said Dan Ashe, director of the USFWS.

Paul Henson, the State Supervisor at the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office, said: "While the chub isn't an iconic fish species that many think about in the Pacific Northwest, it is a very important part of the ecosystem and indicator of good water quality and ecosystem health. By successfully recovering the chub, we're helping many iconic wildlife species and improving the watershed for all Oregonians."

After Tuesday's proposal that the Oregon chub be removed the the endangered species list, the USFWS has one year to determine whether the proposal should become final. The decision of whether to delist the Oregon chub will me made with the best scientific and commercially available data, the USFWS said.

A customary 60-day public comment period on the proposal will begin Feb. 6.