April 4, 2014 — NOAA Fisheries has concluded that listing of the Southeast Alaska Distinct Population Segment of Pacific herring under the Endangered Species Act is not warranted at this time.
According to a NOAA news release, this listing determination decision comes after an extensive status review based on the best scientific and commercial information available.
In 2007, the Juneau Group of the Sierra Club petitioned NOAA Fisheries to list Pacific herring in Lynn Canal under the Endangered Species Act. NOAA completed a status review and published a finding in 2008 that listing the Lynn Canal Pacific herring as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was not warranted because the population does not constitute a species, subspecies, or Distinct Population Segment (DPS) under the ESA.
The 2008 status review found that Lynn Canal Pacific herring are part of a larger Southeast Alaska Distinct Population Segment (DPS) of Pacific herring, which should be considered a candidate species under the ESA. NOAA Fisheries then began a status review of the Southeast Alaska Distinct Population Segment (DPS) of Pacific herring.