Photo Credit: Dr. Stuart Welsh, U.S. Geological Survey
Effective May 7th, 2021, a critical habitat for Candy Darter fish (Etheostoma osburni) was designated by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), for 368 stream miles in West Virginia and Virginia. The ruling designated five critical habitat units within the New River drainage including, Greenbrier (Unit 1), Middle New (Unit 2), Lower Gauley (Unit 3), Upper New (Unit 4), and Upper Gauley (Unit 5). These critical habitat units are located within four counties in West Virginia (Greenbrier, Nicholas, Pochahontas, Webster) and three counties in Virginia (Bland, Giles, Wythe).
The endangered species is a small, brightly-colored stream fish that occupies mountainous riffle habitats in cool water streams of various sizes. The species was listed by the USFWS as federally endangered on December 21st, 2018 and now has critical habitat designated. Although Candy Darter faces numerous potential threats, including sedimentation, land disturbance, forestry practices, and water quality degradation (e.g., warmer water temperatures, acidification), the primary threat to the Candy Darter is hybridization with Variegate Darters (Etheostoma variatum). The Variegate Darter is another species of fish, native to the Appalachian region, whose range has expanded (possibly due to bait bucket introductions) and now overlaps with the Candy Darter. Since these two species are closely related and ecologically similar they are able to reproduce, resulting in hybrid offspring. Where the overlap in range occurs, this puts the genetic integrity of Candy Darter at risk. Fortunately, there are streams and stream segments where Candy Darter are still isolated from Variegate Darter and the genetic integrity of those populations remains intact.
As a result of the critical habitat designation, any upland or instream activity that may result in adverse modification of critical habitat requires Section 7 consultation. Our fisheries biologists have closely followed these regulatory developments and are well prepared to assist with agency consultation and compliance measures. Our team at Edge Engineering & Science has experience completing every step of the process, from designing and conducting field surveys to composing Biological Assessments and conservation measures. Reach out for #furtherinsight.