When European settlers reached the confluence of two rivers on the North Coast, they named one after a member of their group, Van Duzen, and one after the abundant eels being caught by Native Americans. However, these were not eels in what is now called the Eel River, but small fish called lampreys.

Like sturgeon, lampreys are ancient jawless fish Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

These fish are literally living remnants of some of the world's first known vertebrates--jawless fish--but are facing imminent extinction today. On March 4, EPIC joined eleven other conservation organizations in notifying the Fish and Wildlife Service that we will file a federal lawsuit if it does not take required steps to protect four species of lamprey as threatened or endangered. This coalition submitted a detailed petition to list these species under the Endangered Species Act in January 2003, documenting severe declines in populations of Pacific lamprey, river lamprey, western brook lamprey, and Kern brook lamprey.

All except the last of these lamprey species occur or did occur in the estuaries and rivers along California's North Coast, and observations indicate they were extremely abundant throughout streams and rivers in the Pacific Northwest until not very long ago. Because lampreys transport important nutrients from the oceans to freshwater ecosystems, scientists are concerned that their loss is causing disruptions in natural predator-prey relationships and nutrition cycles.

The Fish and Wildlife Service was required to make a finding on the coalition's petition by January 2004, but has failed to do so and indicated it has no plans to act this year. These ancient fish cannot tolerate further delays from the Bush Administration, and EPIC is working with others to ensure they are protected before it is too late.

Groups involved in this action include EPIC, the Siskiyou Regional Education Project, Umpqua Watersheds, Native Fish Society, and Washington Trout. The coalition is represented by Amy Atwood of the Western Environmental Law Center.