The ruling Tuesday that Bonneville cutthroat trout would not be warranted a listing as a threatened or endangered species may seem like a negative to Utah state biologists, but in reality many see it as a victory. Their job, after all, is to protect wildlife and that includes keeping species from ending up on the list.

The Bonneville cutthroat has been petitioned several times for listing, but federal officials feel the population of Utah's state fish is doing well enough that the threatened label can be avoided; at least for now. Utah Division of Wildlife officials also prefer to keep the fish from being listed because it allows them to work on restoration efforts without the red tape that gets thick with federal involvement.

Here's a recent story on the recovery of the Bonneville cutthroat.

Brett