Minnows Reclassified as Endangered - National Humane Education Society

Paws Up!

To the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for reclassifying two fish as endangered.

The spikedace and loach minnow have recently been protected under the Endangered Species Act due to climate change.

According to a news story, “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service … pointed to prolonged drought, climate change and an increase in nonnative fish for its decision to reclassify as endangered two fish [spikedace and loach minnow] found in New Mexico and Arizona.”

Drought is a major problem in the desert Southwest. According to the article, “The Southwest is definitely going to have to get better at using water than it already is if there’s going to be any hope, not just for these fish, but virtually every native fish,” Greenwald [species director at the Center for Biological Diversity] said. “The population of almost every species that depends on rivers and streams in the Southwest has gone down.”

Species preservation is one of the reasons the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was enacted in 1973. Two federal agencies are responsible for administering and enforcing the ESA: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). They share responsibility for species that inhabit both marine and land areas; FWS is further responsible for all marine species; NOAA for freshwater fish.

Take Action: Thank the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for giving these two fish further protection.

Rowan W. Gould, Acting Director
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240

Source:
Albuquerque Joural Online