The Spring Pygmy Sunfish now has formal protection as a Threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The species is found in one spring system to the west of Huntsville, Alabama. Kudos to Michael Sandel and the Center for Biological Diversity for pushing this through over the past several years. Following is a link to the CBD press release: http://www.biologica...10-01-2013.html
Spring Pygmy Sunfish Now Listed As Threatened Under ESA
Started by
Guest_fundulus_*
, Oct 01 2013 05:46 PM
14 replies to this topic
#3
Guest_fundulus_*
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Posted 01 October 2013 - 06:26 PM
There is a management plan that the primary landowner agreed to two years ago, supervised by a local group, The Land Trust of North Alabama. As long as some of the local ignoranti cease with dumping chemical wastes in local springs, it should actually work.
#9
Guest_Elassoman_*
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Posted 02 October 2013 - 11:41 AM
This project was jumpstarted by NANFA, who provided a conservation grant in 2007. If you identify a species or ecosystem with similar risks, I encourage you to 1) Submit a grant application to NANFA, and; 2) Speak with your state fish and wildlife agents about scientific permits and section 6 projects. If you are not associated with a university, make friends with a professor or NGO director who can sign off on your applications. This listing decision has been in limbo for over 25 years, and it took people-power to actually get it done.
I know folks have mixed emotions about the ESA, because it represents new federal oversight/regulation. In many cases the goal of the ESA is recovery across a broad native range. The Bald Eagle and American Alligator are success stories, because the regulations did the job and then got out of the way. In the case of the Spring Pygmy Sunfish and other narrow-endemics, indefinite federal protection makes good sense. Freshwater fish and invertebrates need special consideration, because success is measured stream-by-stream. You can find a thriving population in one tributary, and a polluted dead zone in the next. I am optimistic about the Spring Pygmy Sunfish because we aren't just protecting the fish, but also the land surrounding their habitat. More than 2,000 acres are being considered in conservation agreements with three landowners. Most of this is bottomland that wasn't fit for agriculture or development in the first place, but could have easily been drained and paved. Critical habitat designation will not only help the sunfish, but also the endangered Slender Campeloma and an undescribed salamander. Previously, the habitat of the Slender Campeloma could be altered without consequence, so its listing was of little consequence. Now we can trust that this unique little watershed will be around for our kids and grandkids.
I know folks have mixed emotions about the ESA, because it represents new federal oversight/regulation. In many cases the goal of the ESA is recovery across a broad native range. The Bald Eagle and American Alligator are success stories, because the regulations did the job and then got out of the way. In the case of the Spring Pygmy Sunfish and other narrow-endemics, indefinite federal protection makes good sense. Freshwater fish and invertebrates need special consideration, because success is measured stream-by-stream. You can find a thriving population in one tributary, and a polluted dead zone in the next. I am optimistic about the Spring Pygmy Sunfish because we aren't just protecting the fish, but also the land surrounding their habitat. More than 2,000 acres are being considered in conservation agreements with three landowners. Most of this is bottomland that wasn't fit for agriculture or development in the first place, but could have easily been drained and paved. Critical habitat designation will not only help the sunfish, but also the endangered Slender Campeloma and an undescribed salamander. Previously, the habitat of the Slender Campeloma could be altered without consequence, so its listing was of little consequence. Now we can trust that this unique little watershed will be around for our kids and grandkids.
#11
Guest_gerald_*
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Posted 02 October 2013 - 07:56 PM
A few years ago I had a conversation with US-FWS folks in NC about the Cape Fear shiner. I said I didn't think this species could ever be de-listed, as a fish with a tiny range and dependent on large creeks and rivers downstream of major cities in an urbanizing region (central NC) - and now gas hydro-fracking interests. I got the impression that FWS is mandated to think in terms of recovery and delisting -- permanent listing is not a concept that the Act recognizes as legitimate, although I'm sure some FWS staff personally recognize that delisting is not rational for certain species. I hope I'm wrong about this, please correct me if so; the FWS staff didnt specifically say this, but they did say that species management plans must be geared toward recovery and delisting.
#12
Guest_Elassoman_*
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Posted 02 October 2013 - 09:18 PM
I have had similar conversations in bama. This paradigm will shift, eventually, but it probably won't be a bottom-up thing.I got the impression that FWS is mandated to think in terms of recovery and delisting -- permanent listing is not a concept that the Act recognizes as legitimate, although I'm sure some FWS staff personally recognize that delisting is not rational for certain species. I hope I'm wrong about this, please correct me if so; the FWS staff didnt specifically say this, but they did say that species management plans must be geared toward recovery and delisting.
#13
Guest_Doug_Dame_*
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Posted 03 October 2013 - 01:07 AM
In Florida, no-one admits to this in public, but my impression as a casual observer is that the anti-regulation legislature has forced the rules to be re-written in recent years so that there can't be a state-listed species without, or until there's, a "management plan" WRITTEN for that species. The ability to do that is of course dependent on the legislature's willingness to fund those kinds of positions at the Fish & Wildlife Commission. Simultaneously the standards for hard, empirical evidence to support findings of declining populations or increasing threats have been significantly elevated. The result is that species are being taken off the list (often for lack of solid scientific documentation under the new stds) faster than new ones are being added ... which flies in the face of common sense, given how many Florida waterways are now deemed substantially degraded per EPA guidelines.
The lesson from the story of Alabama's Spring Pygmy Sunfish is that a concerted effort by a bunch of people can make a difference. (Thanks especially to the land-owners involved here.) One species hopefully has gotten the protections it needs to be saved. It wasn't quick, and it wasn't easy. And there's many other species tottering on the brink, or heading in that direction.
The lesson from the story of Alabama's Spring Pygmy Sunfish is that a concerted effort by a bunch of people can make a difference. (Thanks especially to the land-owners involved here.) One species hopefully has gotten the protections it needs to be saved. It wasn't quick, and it wasn't easy. And there's many other species tottering on the brink, or heading in that direction.
#14
Guest_Dustin_*
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Posted 03 October 2013 - 07:29 AM
I do appreciate the landowner(s) finally caving but I wonder what the motivation ended up being. They certainly could have made more money for their land selling it to the automotive industry or whatever other factory was interested. This was certainly a group effort, including a letter written by NANFA. I do want to recognize that this would not have happened without the drive and persistence of Mike Sandel. Others have brought up and dropped th idea of protecting these fish over the years but Mike would not take no for an answer and kept working to align himself and the pygmies with the appropriate allies to get this done. I have seen these fish in person when they were abundant and seen the devastation caused to their habitat by overjealous water usage combined with drought. When, hopefully, I can show these fish to my kids and their kids, I will thank Mike. And so should everyone else.
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