The US federal government has revealed a ‘biological option’ for saving the white sturgeon population of Kootenai river in the state of Montana.
In the plan, released by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the river’s Libby dam would release water in excess of its power house capacity in order to help save the endangered fish – 283m3/sec in addition to the 7075m3/sec capacity.
However, the plan has attracted criticism, partly from conservation groups who are dissatisfied with its lack of steps for recovery. The possibility of seepage from the increased flows is causing further anxiety, as is the plan’s vagueness about when or how the dam would spill the additional water.
This is the third attempt at a recovery plan by the federal government since 1995.
The breed of sturgeon, one of the oldest in the US, was classified as an endangered species in 1994, and is found only in a 269km stretch of river. It could number less than 50 by 2030.