Judge: Fish and Wildlife Must Do Smelt Review
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A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to review the status of the threatened delta smelt.
The California Farm Bureau Federation sued the service for failing to review the threatened species´ status since it was placed on the list in 1993.
“It took a lawsuit, our lawsuit, to do that status review,” said Rhonda Lucas, a lawyer for the Farm Bureau. She doesn´t expect the Service to appeal this decision. “They admitted that they were supposed to do it, and they just hadn´t gotten to it yet,” Lucas said.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife offiicals say they´re set to complete the process by March of next year.
