Steelhead Win Respect From NOAA

As evidence that NOAA (the U.S. National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration) is finally beginning to trust their own scientists, the agency is reversing an earlier initiative to lump together rainbow and steelhead trout. The decision helps calm conservationist fears that endangered populations were about to be delisted under the Endangered Species Act. “The federal agency that oversees efforts to restore the 10 groups of steelhead protected under the Endangered Species Act has formally proposed to adopt a different policy for designating populations for protection — one that is not based solely on genetics and the ability to breed together.” From the Associated Press.