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HELENA - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is launching a review of the Yellowstone cutthroat trout, to determine whether the fish merits federal classification as a threatened or endangered species.

The review will be completed by a court-ordered deadline of Feb. 14, the service said Thursday.

“During this status review, the service will evaluate existing and all new information, then make a decision on whether there is sufficient risk to the species to proceed” with a listing under the Endangered Species Act, said Ralph Morgenweck, regional director for the agency.

The Fish and Wildlife Service is under a court order to reconsider its 2001 decision against listing the cutthroat as a threatened species, status that would bring certain protections for the fish.

Yellowstone cutthroat inhabit some streams of the West but no longer exist in most of their historic habitat. Setbacks include predatory lake trout, disease and drought.

In 2001, the Fish and Wildlife Service found that a petition to list Yellowstone cutthroat trout under the Endangered Species Act did not show the protection was justified. Several environmental groups then challenged the agency’s finding by filing a complaint in U.S. District Court.

The Fish and Wildlife Service’s review will include a public-comment period extending until Oct. 31.

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