A small, colorful fish found in the Coosa River Basin is now federally protected.
On January 29, 2018, the trispot darter was formally recognized as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is now proposing exemptions to otherwise prohibited activities under the ESA. The exemptions, included in a 4(d) rule, mark the ESA’s flexibility in allowing for certain management activities to continue because of their overall benefit to the long-term status of the listed darter.
At the same time, the Service is proposing critical habitat for the darter.
The rule and proposals were published in the Federal Register on December 28, 2018 during the partial government shutdown. The public is invited to submit written comments and information on the proposed critical habitat rule and/or proposed 4(d) rule by February 26, 2019.
The trispot darter is a freshwater fish found in parts of the Coosa River Basin in southeastern Tennessee, northern Georgia and northern Alabama. Read the full story here.