NOAA Fisheries Service has received petitions to list Pacific smelt (Thaleichthys pacificus) under the Endangered Species Act. Smelt, also known as eulachon, candlefish or hooligan, are found in the eastern north Pacific Ocean. They range from northern California to southwest Alaska and into the southeastern Bering Sea. Smelt typically spend three to five years in saltwater before returning to freshwater to spawn in late winter through mid spring.
2007 PETITION: NOAA Fisheries Service received a petition in November 2007 to list eulachon that spawn south of the Canadian border under the Endangered Species Act.
March 2008: After reviewing the information presented in the petition and other information readily available in agency files, NOAA Fisheries found that the petition presented substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the petitioned action may be warranted. The agency will initiate a status review of smelt to determine if the species or distinct population segment(s) warrant ESA listing.
1999 PETITION: NOAA Fisheries Service received a petition in July 1999 to list Columbia River eulachon under the Endangered Species Act. The Northwest Region found that the petition failed to present substantial scientific and commercial information indicating that the petitioned action may be warranted.
