USFWS Will Not List Coaster Brook Trout As Endangered

Once again an unclear genetic picture has led to the exclusion of a trout species — in this case upper Great Lakes “coasters” — from the Endangered Species list, and environmental groups are considering a lawsuit to get the decision reversed. “The Fish and Wildlife Service said its review did not yield convincing evidence the coaster was a distinct population segment, much less a separate species or subspecies. Instead, the agency labeled the coaster a ‘life history form’ that could be reconstituted from other brook trout under the right environmental conditions.” John Flesher of The Associated Press. (Thanks to reader Jim Phillips for this link.)