Montana bird lovers are challenging the Fish and Wildlife Service’s granting of a permit to kill ospreys and other migrating species that dine at a Yellowstone River fish hatchery.
Citing the federal agency’s obligations under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the Yellowstone Valley Audubon Society contends in a lawsuit that a thorough environmental evaluation must be conducted before the so-called depredation permit can be issued.
“The Service should have looked at other non-lethal options rather than green lighting the shooting en mass of native, migratory birds to prop up non-native bass for sport fishing,” Emily Qiu, an Earthjustice attorney representing the Audubon organization, said in an email Wednesday.
Qiu added that “the fundamental issue here” is that the Fish and Wildlife Service “has not done the necessary analysis” required to understand the full environmental impact of shooting birds that feast on the hatchery’s fish.
