A conservation group has recommended that a small fish that made big headlines in the 1970s be removed from the threatened and endangered species list now that the group believes it has fully recovered and is no longer in danger of extinction.
The Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Tuesday to lift Endangered Species Act protection from snail darters – a species of fish not much longer than a golf tee that was discovered in the early 1970s in the Little Tennessee River. The fish is no longer in danger of extinction thanks to the efforts of citizens and governmental groups, according to a release from the center.
“The Endangered Species Act’s strength is that decisions are based on the best available science, and science now shows that the snail darter is recovered and a conservation success,” Tierra Curry, a senior scientist at the center, said via a release. “The snail darter’s not alone, as 85 percent of plants and animals protected by this critical law are on the road to recovery.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will now consult with its biologists to see if it should move forward with removing the fish’s federal listing.
“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife has been working with our partners for years to conserve the snail darter, the same type of work we undertake with many other species. As with all such petitions we receive, we will review the information provided in this petition and consider it carefully, consistent with the Endangered Species Act,” reads a statement from service spokesman Philip Kloer.