The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will begin a review of the mountain whitefish population in Idaho's Big Lost River to determine whether it merits listing under the federal Endangered Species Act.

"We want to ensure that the status review of the mountain whitefish in the Big Lost River is based on the best available scientific and commercial information," Jeff Foss, state supervisor of the service, said in a press release issued Thursday, Aug. 6.

The agency will accept public comment about the species and the planned review until Sept. 8.

The Western Watersheds Project, an Idaho-based environmental group, first petitioned to list the Big Lost River mountain whitefish population in 2006.

The Fish and Wildlife Service determined that the group failed to present sufficient information to show that a listing was warranted.

Western Watersheds took the case to court, and in April a federal judge in Boise ordered the wildlife agency to conduct a review.

The Fish and Wildlife Service is required to make a final determination by March 31, 2010, whether the population should be listed as a threatened or endangered species.

Mountain whitefish, sometimes known as mountain herring, are members of the salmonidae family.

They're known to inhabit parts of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, Utah, Nevada and California.

Their preferred habitat is cold-water streams and lakes. Some populations are found in sink basins such as the Big Lost River, which has no surface connections to any other river.

The Big Lost River runs through Custer and Butte counties in southeastern Idaho.

-- Dave Wilkins