He who delt it smelt it?
Habitats Receive New Status To Save Smelt
October 21, 2011
More than a dozen West Coast streams, rivers and estuaries received new status Thursday as critical habitat for smelt.
It’s the latest step in protecting the small fish. The smelt is an important food source for marine mammals and other fish, including salmon.
The new decision means any activities receiving federal dollars must avoid disturbing 335 miles of waterways. Marine biologist Marc Romano says smelt – also known as eulachon -– swim in different spots and at different times than salmon and bull trout.
In lower section of many of the rivers of the lower Columbia River Basin, eulachon are spawning, yet these areas are not typically spawning areas for some of the other species that have designated critical habitats,” Romano says.
http://news.opb.org/article/habitats-receive-new-status-save-smelt/