Conservation groups sue for Pacific fisher protection

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) — Conservation groups have sued the federal government in an attempt to force threatened species protection for Pacific fishers.

The Mail Tribune reports (https://is.gd/GVJJn3 ) reports Ashland-based Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center and others filed the suit Tuesday in San Francisco against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The agency recommended threatened species status for fishers in 2014, but reversed that position earlier this year. The groups say the government chose politics over science. The Fish and Wildlife Service has yet to comment on the suit.

Fishers belong to a family of mammals that includes weasels, mink, martens and otters. Anywhere from 1,000 to 4,000 fishers live in Southern Oregon and Northern California.

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Information from: Mail Tribune, http://www.mailtribune.com/