Oregon Chub Is The First Fish Ever Taken Off The Endangered Species List

The Oregon Chub has the distiction of being the first fish to be taken off the Endangered Species List. This tiny minnow that lives only in Oregon backwaters is the first fish ever taken off U.S. Endangered Species Act protection because it is no longer threatened with extinction.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced this week that the Oregon chub has recovered after 21 years of being on the Endangered Species list. The agency will monitor the fish for nine years to make sure populations continue to grow.

"We’re not saying it won’t need management," said Paul Henson, Oregon director of Fish and Wildlife. "But they can leave the hospital and get out to be an outpatient."

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