A coalition of environmental groups on Monday sued the California Department of Fish and Game for failing to protect endangered coho salmon by delegating decisions over the effects of logging to a forestry agency.
The lawsuit, filed in San Francisco Superior Court, claims the agency should review whether road building and other timber-related activities harm the fish.
In December, Fish and Game gave authority over possible logging-related salmon kills to the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the suit states. Lawyers representing the Sierra Club, California Trout and the Environmental Protection Information Center argued that action violates the state Endangered Species Act and other state and federal laws.
The coho is listed as either threatened or endangered by the state from the Oregon border to Monterey County.
