Rare fish make a home in Northeast Georgia
Feds look at status of endangered, threatened species


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How to comment

Written comments and information about the Amber, Etowah and Cherokee Darter fish may be e-mailed to robin_goodloe@fws.gov or faxed to 706-613-6059. Interested parties may also mail comments and information to Robin Goodloe, Athens Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, West Park Center Suite D, 105 West Park Drive, Athens, GA 30606.
By Brandee A. Thomas
bthomas@gainesvilletimes.com

POSTED July 12, 2009 11:01 p.m.


Officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are turning their attention to 23 endangered and threatened species in the Southeast.

They are not only focusing on those troubled species, they also want local animal lovers to get involved and help out with the department’s five-year status review of the Southeast’s threatened and endangered species.

Among the 23 Southeast fish, amphibian, reptile, snail and plant species under review, three of them can be found in Hall, Forsyth, Dawson and Lumpkin counties.

The local species include the Amber, Cherokee and Etowah Darter fish. The Amber Darter has been on the endangered species list since 1985. In 1994, the Etowah Darter was added to the endangered species list and the Cherokee Darter was placed on the threatened species list.

"We would like for people to share any information that they have about the status of the species — biological information, updates about population recovery, or any information that can help us determine if the species’ status should be uplisted or downlisted," said Elsie Davis, of the Fish and Wildlife Service. "An endangered species is one that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of their range. A threatened species is one that is likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future."

The federal department is also seeking information regarding habitat conditions, population trends and any conservation measures that have been implemented.

According to Fish and Wildlife Service staff, the "greatest threat to the survival of the darters is non-point source pollution."

Non-point source pollution occurs whenever rain washes dirt, fertilizer, oil and other pollutants into rivers and streams, wildlife service staff report.

The information gathered during the review will be used to possibly determine funding, permitting processes and recovery plans related to the affected species.

In my experience with DNR's/DOW's, when they try to make attempts to boost the population of an endagered fish, it usually results in the slaughtering of many predatory game fish. I've seen the DOW kill off entire river systems in an attempt to save the Razorback Chub...

I don't typically say anything about these kinds of issues, because this is one of those that can REALLY stir the pot with a lot of people... but doesn't the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service usually pawn issues like this over to local DNR?