700 Freshwater Fish Species at Risk of Extinction

700 freshwater fish species at risk, survey says
BY CURTIS MORGAN
Wed, Sep. 10, 2008

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/v-print/story/679698.html
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/story/679698.html

Nearly 40 percent of the fish in North American rivers, lakes and streams --
including two dozen species in Florida -- are in serious decline and at risk of
disappearing, according to the most detailed survey of freshwater species
conducted in nearly two decades.
But one Florida species -- the tiny Okaloosa darter, largely confined to creeks
on a Panhandle military base -- ranks among the rare examples of a fish on the
rebound.

The assessment, led by the U.S. Geological Survey and published in the August
edition of the journal Fisheries, shows the number of fish in jeopardy has
nearly doubled to 700 from the last major assessment in 1989. There are 280
classified as endangered or the most at-risk, 190 threatened and 230 vulnerable.
The number presumed extinct also grew from 40 to 61.

WIDENING ASSAULTS

Threats vary, but many fish and the water bodies they live in are under widening
assaults from development, pollution, droughts and public demands for water.

Many at-risk fish are tiny minnows or obscure varieties confined to small areas,
but such broad declines from Canada to Mexico reflect ecological problems that
can impact animals further up the food chain, said Howard Jelks, a fish
biologist for USGS and the report's senior author.

''Fish are indicators of how good the water quality is. As long as you're losing
fish, you're also likely losing crayfish, mussels and other things of that
nature,'' he said. ``They're kind of the canary in the coal mine.''

Some hot spots and troubled species cited: The Pacific Coast and western
mountain regions, where salmon and trout are struggling; minnows, suckers and
catfishes just about everywhere; and a number of darters in the Southeastern
United States.

Florida has 23 fish on the list, including three species of sturgeon and the
once-common alligator gar.

SHOWING IMPROVEMENT

The Okaloosa darter, however, is an exception to the darter decline, among the
11 percent of fish populations showing improvement.

The darter, on the federal endangered species list for 35 years, lives in rivers
and streams in Okaloosa and Walton counties, mostly within the boundaries of
sprawling Eglin Air Force Base. Biologists there have revived the population by
restoring a floodplain and creek, a large portion of which runs through the base
golf course.

The Air Force also has improved how it handles storm runoff, improving water
quality for the two-inch fish. The darter, now a candidate for down-listing, is
an example of how public awareness and better management could rescue species,
Jelks said.

''The tie between land and water is maybe not obvious to everyone,'' he said.
``When you take care of the land, you take care of the water.''