
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services is proposing to list the Clear Lake hitch as a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act, after 13 years of an ongoing petition led by the nonprofit Center of Biological Diversity.
“After a review of the best available scientific and commercial information, we find that listing the Clear Lake hitch is warranted,” the proposal states.
This marks a step toward securing federal protection — for the first time — of the hitch, a large minnow that only exists in the Clear Lake watershed in Lake County and which holds ecological and cultural significance.
Known as “chi” to the county's Pomo tribes, the hitch used to be abundant and had long served as the primary food source for the tribes.
However, the hitch population has been declining with its habitat degrading.
“The survey data in Clear Lake has shown a decline in the hitch population over an extended period, but there’s a lot of variability in the population numbers year-to-year due to changes in environmental conditions,” said Michael Fris, field supervisor of the Service’s Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office on a Wednesday press release by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, or the USFWS.
“We will continue to look at all potential factors that could be contributing to the decline of this culturally important species and invest in projects that support the recovery of the hitch,” he added.
For hitch advocates, the federal help should have come earlier.
“It should have happened a decade ago,” said Jeff Miller, senior advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, in a phone call with Lake County News. “But better late than never.”
“I’m relieved that strong protections are on the way for these iconic fish,” said Miller in the center’s press release. “The hitch need immediate emergency actions if they’re going to survive. Endangered Species Act protections can help ensure that happens.”
Yet, it is still just a proposal at this point, Miller said.
It could take up to a year for the USFWS to finalize the listing and start providing protection, he explained.
The proposal now enters a 60-day window to take public comments from all interested parties until March 17, according to the USFWS.
The proposal and information on how to submit comments can be found on www.regulations.gov by searching under docket number FWS–R8–ES–2024–0161.
The long fight
In 2012, the Center for Biological Diversity petitioned to protect the hitch under both the federal and California Endangered Species Act, stating that this large minnow native to Clear Lake was “vanishing.”
In August 2014, the California listed the Clear Lake hitch as a threatened species under the California Endangered Species Act, making it the first aquatic listed species in the Clear Lake Basin, as Lake County News has reported.
However, it has never been successful on the federal level.
In December of 2020, the Trump administration denied protection to 11 species, including the hitch — a decision that the USFWS said was “based on the best available science. However, Miller said at that time that it was based on “misinformation.”
In August 2021, the center sued USFWS in federal court over their decision to deny hitch protection, which was the last of their three lawsuits against the federal agency over the years, Miller told Lake County News.
In April 2022, a settlement was reached with the USFWS agreeing to reconsider protecting the hitch by January of 2025.
In November of that year, the California Fish and Game Commission wrote to the USFWS to request emergency listing of the hitch under the Endangered Species Act.
Later in December of 2022, Big Valley along with three other local tribes joined the advocacy effort, signing a letter to the leadership at the Department of the Interior and the USFWS, requesting emergency listing.
In February 2023, the Lake County Board of Supervisors proclaimed a local emergency for the hitch.
Despite local and state efforts, the USFWS declined the request in May 2023.
The current proposal is pending final approval, and with the upcoming Trump Administration — which in their first term denied the protection, Miller expressed his concerns while hoping “it will go through.”
“There’s potential that the Trump Administration could try to derail this,” said Miller. “I hope it doesn’t rise to the top of their agenda.”
“Everyone who’s involved, who lives in the Clear Lake basin and all the tribal folks and state biologies and anyone who's involved in trying to protect this fish know how close it is to disappearing.” He continued. “It’s pretty obvious to everyone that it deserves these protections.”
What federal protection may entail?
Once the proposal is finalized and Clear Lake hitch added to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife, USFWS will extend the protections to the hitch under the Endangered Species Act.
The act protects the species against harmful conducts such as harassing, killing and capturing, and attempts to do so.
There are some exemptions to the prohibitions such as tribal harvest under a conservation plan, Miller noted.
Also exempted are some fish rescue activities carried out by state and tribal biologists in recent years. “Because they’re basically helping the conservation of the hitch,” Miller said.
The USFWS will also designate the species’ “critical habit” which Miller sees as a crucial tool that adds “another layer of federal protection.”
“It protects not just the individual fish, but the actual habitat they rely on,” he explained.
It is designed to make sure that “the federal agencies not only don’t destroy or damage the habitat that’s essential for the survival of endangered species but also help promote the recovery of those species.”
Email staff reporter Lingzi Chen at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..