The relict darter fish, native to Kentucky, has been previously listed as endangered.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to downlist the fish, to classify it as threatened under the Endangered Species Act after reviewing recent data.
"Species like the relict darter have benefited from focused conservation efforts from our partners and with the assistance of the Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program," U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Director Leopoldo Miranda-Castro said in a release. "Despite the challenges that the species has faced over the decades, concerted conservation efforts inspired by the ESA have paid off.
According to the University of Kentucky, the fish was first called endangered in December 1993, and the fish is found only in one stream, the Bayou de Chien stream, although they can be found in tributaries of the stream as well.
Comments on this proposed rule should be submitted electronically or postmarked by May 2. Requests for a public hearing should be sent in writing to this address: Lee Andrews, Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Kentucky Ecological Services Field Office, 330 West Broadway, Suite 265, Frankfort, KY 40601; telephone 502-695-0468. Anyone who uses a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) should call the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339.
The Service has worked to recover the darter with multiple agencies and private partners, including the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, and The Nature Conservancy.
The Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program played a leading role in providing technical and financial assistance to agencies and private landowners.
