LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County Farm Bureau has weighed in on this week’s decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service not to give an emergency Endangered Species listing to the Clear Lake hitch.
Fish and Wildlife said Tuesday that it would not give the listing to the hitch, also known as the “chi” to Lake County’s Pomo tribes, but that a full species evaluation is underway.
That evaluation is expected to be completed in 2025. It’s possible that a listing following the regular process could follow, based upon the study’s conclusions.
“Lake County Farm Bureau believes in informed decisions made on the basis of thorough scientific research and analysis. We are confident that USFWS will continue to analyze the status of the Clear Lake hitch in order to make the most appropriate listing decision for the species by the original 2025 review period,” said Executive Director Rebecca Harper.
The Big Valley Pomo, which along with Lake County’s other tribes joined the Center for Biological Diversity and the California Fish and Game Commission in advocating for Fish and Wildlife to grant the emergency measure, voiced its disappointment in the decision.
Tribal Chair Philip Gomez said the emergency listing could have resulted in changes to water diversions that would have increased water flow in creeks during the spawning period.
Center for Biological Diversity representative Meg Townsend this week had cautioned that a listing itself doesn’t necessarily lead to saving a species.
As the species evaluation moves forward, Harper said agricultural stakeholders remain committed to voluntary actions that will improve spawning conditions for the hitch.
“Stakeholders will continue working with state and federal agencies as well as community partners to identify and implement strategies that allow us to move forward together,” Harper said.
Beginning in March, hitch began to run in large numbers in county creeks, which has appeared to be a result of this year’s high water levels.
That led to some overflow of creeks into fields in the Kelseyville area, which saw Harper and local farmers working alongside the tribes to safely move the fish to prevent them from being stranded.
“While acknowledging that one year of successful spawning will not save the species, seeing the chi in such significant numbers in our tributaries this spring has been very encouraging,” said Harper.
She added, “We hope that this successful spawning run will help to stabilize the population while ongoing in-lake and stream-based studies aim to address larger issues that may be impacting the population.”
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.