A rare Lake County fish is at the center of a new legal battle as the Center for Biological Diversity threatens to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The Press Democrat reports the group claims the federal government is “sitting on its hands” by failing to finalize endangered species protections for the Clear Lake hitch, a species that has seen its population plummet from millions to just a few thousand.
Environmentalists say the fish is in a “bureaucratic limbo” that could lead to its extinction, similar to other species already lost from the lake.
The agency now has 60 days to act on the federal listing before the case heads to court.