Judge Keeps Salmon From Threatened List

A federal judge in Eugene refused to restore Oregon coastal coho salmon to the threatened species list.

Ruling from the bench, U.S. District Judge Michael J. Hogan denied a motion by conservation groups to stay his earlier ruling that lifted protections for the fish under the Endangered Species Act. The fish spawn in streams on the northern two-thirds of the Oregon coast.

The judge added that Oregon coastal coho were in no imminent danger of extinction and he wanted to do nothing to interfere with National Marine Fisheries Service biologists discussing whether the fish merit protection under his original ruling.