Written by Staff Report
Wednesday, 07 May 2008

(AP) - Federal authorities will consider whether to designate another delta fish for protection under the Endangered Species Act after a sharp population decline last year.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says it will review the status of the longfin smelt to determine whether it is a threatened or endangered species.

The 4 inch-long fish is native to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Last year it registered its lowest population count in four decades of monitoring.

Environmental groups had requested a review in August.

The longfin's cousin, the Delta smelt, has been listed as a threatened species since 1993.