The Cowlitz Tribe of Washington praised the Obama administration's decision to list the Pacific smelt fish as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act.

The tribe depended on smelt during the mid-winter and winter months but runs of the fish, also known as eulachon or candlefish, have been nonexistent in recent years.

"The tribe just had its annual eulachon ceremony a few weeks ago and there were none for us to dip. Our nets were empty," Taylor Aalvik, the director of the tribe's Natural Resources Department, said in a statement., the Associated Press reported.

The NOAA Fisheries Service announced the decision yesterday.

Get the Story:
Cowlitz tribe gets Pacific smelt listed as ‘threatened’ species (Puget Sound Business Journal 3/16)
Pacific smelt listed as threatened; impact unclear (AP 3/16)
Feds move to protect smelt; recovery plan will take years to develop (The Longview Daily News 3/17)
Pacific smelt declared a threatened species (The Columbian 3/17)

Related Stories:
Editorial: Cowlitz Tribe spurs action on fish (3/18)
Cowlitz Tribe pushes for federal review of smelter (3/14)
Cowlitz Tribe seeks endangered lising for smelt (11/8)