Oregon Public Broadcasting

The federal agency in charge of monitoring the country's fish population has again listed the Oregon coastal coho salmon as a threatened species.

The NOAA Fisheries Service had taken the coho off the Endangered  Species list in 2001 after conservative property groups argued that hatchery fish should be treated the same as non-farm fish.

After that, the state of Oregon developed a protection plan and convinced the feds the coho didn't need to be listed as threatened.

But a federal judge recently ruled that decision was not supported by enough science.

Brian Gorman is a spokesman for the federal fisheries agency.

Brian Gorman: “Coastal Coho are unusual fish in that they are very resiliant fish. And so, I am hopeful with the work Oregon has already started doing, and with the protections this listing will give them, that they will be slowly improving.”

With the coho back on the list, there are 27 Pacific salmon protected by the Endangered Species Act.

The news is also a blow to the Bureau of Land Management's plan to increase logging in the state. Stronger fish protections mean it is tougher to cut trees from lands near major coastal rivers.