|
FRESHWATER FISHES--Endangered, Threatened or of Special Concern
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) classifies
listed (imperiled) species in three categories - endangered, threatened and
species of special concern. The final report to the US Fish and
Wildlife Service on "Florida
Imperiled Fish Species Investigation" (1.8 mb PDF file) was submitted in
November 2004 by Gray Bass, et al. However, based on changes made to the state
listing process in 1999, the protection a listed species gets from the state
is based on a management plan - not on the species' classification.
The FWC uses well-defined criteria to determine where a species should
appear on the list. When the population trends or range of a listed species
changes, anyone can petition the FWC to reconsider its classification. If
the FWC determines the petition is credible, the agency's seven
Commissioners direct their staff to develop a comprehensive biological
status report for the species to determine whether reclassification may be
warranted. The list is designed to be dynamic and change when situations
change. The management plan can change too, but only when the species' needs
change. For a current list of threatened species, see the Florida
Wildlife Codebook Chapter 68 (PDF
Version Available Here). Then go to Section 27.
An endangered species is one that is facing impending extinction. If it's
not in danger of extinction, it should not be on the endangered species
list. The list fosters public awareness, but that doesn't dictate what the
state will do to protect the species. The management plan does that, and
it's designed according to the individual species' needs. The FWC
created the new listing process and management plan requirement in 1999,
including a provision to establish a petition procedure, in which anyone can
ask the agency to reassess a species' listing. The whole purpose was to make
protection and conservation issues focus on habitat protection and other
requirements for individual species, rather than impose a single set of
regulations for all animals within a particular classification. Protection
measures for the endangered Florida panther would not be the same as
measures for endangered birds or marine mammals, so the FWC intentionally
detached the list from the management plan. In fact, many of the FWC's
regulations afford special protection measures for species that are not on
the list at all.
The following list includes all of the freshwater fishes that are
endangered, threatened or of special concern (species whose numbers are
adequate but frequently depend on a critical and fragile habitat) in
Florida. (Note: Photos on this page were taken by FWC biologists,
special thanks to Gray Bass for most of them, or borrowed from the
Native Fish Conservancy with the
approval of Robert Rice. Drawings are from Duane Raver or the
National Marine
Fisheries Service, with approval of their web master.) The Office of
Environmental Services has completed a series of publications on Imperiled
Habitats and Species as well as a GAP analysis of important habitats in
Florida. These can be accessed at
http://myfwc.com/oes/habitat_sec/pubs.htm
ENDANGERED
 Blackmouth shiner (Notropis melanostomus)
--A small (less than 1.5-inch long) streamlined shiner that occurs only in
the Blackwater-Yellow River system (Pensacola Bay drainage).
Population has been reduced to an endangered number by the encroachment of
people into this limited habitat. They are found in backwaters and
quiet pools of creeks and small rivers; usually over mud near vegetation.
Okaloosa darter (Etheostoma okaloosae)
--Darters are characterized by the two fan like dorsal fins and the
Okaloosa darter reaches scarcely 2 inches in length. They are found
only in the Choctawhatchee Bay drainage in Florida, where they inhabit
vegetated sand runs of clear creeks.
 Shortnose sturgeon
(Acipenser brevirostrum)
--Sturgeon are primitivefishes, with a heterocercal tail
(the upper lobe is much longer than the lower lobe) like many sharks.
The body is covered with 5 rows of large bony plates. These fish have a
tube-like mouth located on the underside of the head. The mouth protrudes
several inches when the fish is feeding. Shortnose sturgeon range in color
from grayish-olive to brownish above, shading to white on the belly.
Shortnose sturgeon have wider mouths (inside the lips; the width is
greater than 60 percent of the distance between the eyes, while Atlantic
sturgeon have small mouths that measure 50 percent or less) and the snout
is more U-shaped in the shortnose than in the Atlantic. Shortnose sturgeon are restricted to the east coast of North
America, from the St. John River in Canada, to the Indian River in
Florida.
THREATENED
 Crystal darter (Crystallaria asprella;
see also Ammocrypta)
--Originally crystal darters existed in the Mississippi River basin from
Ohio to Minnesota and south to southern Mississippi, northern Louisiana,
southeastern Oklahoma and the Gulf Slope in Escambia, Mobile Bay and Pearl
River drainages. However, it is now extirpated from Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana
and Illinois.
Biology: Occurs in clean sand and gravel runs of small to medium rivers.
Note recent samplings for this fish by both the United States Geological
Service and FWC have failed to locate extant populations.
 Key silverside (Menidia conchorum)
--Up to about two inches in length, making them the smallest of the
silversides, the key silverside are pelagic and inhabit brackish water areas
and ponds of varying salinity in the lower Florida Keys. Often found around
black mangroves.
SPECIES OF SPECIAL CONCERN
 Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser
oxyrinchus)
--The Gulf sturgeon is a subspecies of the Atlantic sturgeon. The Gulf
Sturgeon is a large
fish with an extended snout, vertical mouth, chin barbels. Adults reach 95
inches in length, with adult females larger than males. The skin is
scaleless but imbedded with 5 rows of bony plates. They are brown
along the back and light colored underneath. Adults are bottom
feeders, consuming invertebrates such as, insect larvae, mollusks, worms and
crustaceans. Gulf sturgeon mature in the Gulf but reproduce in fresh water,
returing to breed in the river where they hatched. Spawning depends on
deeper water with clean (rock and rubble) bottoms. Eggs are sticky and
adhere in clumps to various clean surfaces. Sexual maturity is reached after
at least 8 years for females and 7 years for males. Gulf
sturgeon still occur from the Mississippi River to Charlotte Harbor,
Florida, their historic range, but are becoming quite rare. Dams have been a
major factor in the decline of the Gulf sturgeon by preventing use of
upstream areas for spawning. The Gulf sturgeon do not pass through dam and
lock systems. Dredging, removal of snags and rocks and spoil deposition
associated with channelization further threaten
 Lake Eustis pupfish (Cyprinodon variegatus hubbsi)--A
freshwater variant (subspecies) of sheepshead minnow. These fishes in
general are less than 10 inches long and reside in fresh water, brackish and
marine habitats.
Although the sheepshead minnow is rather widely dispersed in North and
Central America, the subspecies C. v. hubbsi is known from Lake Eustis and
five other central Florida lakes.
 Saltmarsh topminnow (Fundulus jenkinsi)
--The saltmarsh topminnow is one of the smallest topminnows seldom exceeding
1.5-2.0 inches. It is believed the species only lives for one to two years,
making this species vulnerable to drastic year class variations and
susceptible to local extinctions. Saltmarsh topminnows breed in shallow
flooded marshes from the north-central coast of the Gulf of Mexico to
western Florida. It is believed that specimens can be found in the Perdido,
Escambia, and East Bays of Florida. They are generally associated with salt
marshes and brackish water, but can survive in fresh water.
 Rivulus (Rivulus marmoratus)
--Mangrove rivulus are small fishes generally less than 3 inches in total
length, with a dark spot surrounded by yellow ring on side of caudal
peduncle, just ahead of upper part of caudal fin base. They inhabit
fresh and brackish water and have survived well historically because the
population can double in less than 15 months. They are relatively widely
distributed in Central and South America. However, the North American
population is confined to the eastern coast of Florida (Indian River to Key
West). They inhabits shallow, mud-bottomed ditches, bays, salt marshes
and other brackish-water environments; and often associate with crab burrows
and often in water with low oxygen. Either male or hermaphroditic, females
don't seem to exist. Only about 5% of a population are born as males; after
3-4 years about 60% of the (self-fertilizing) hermaphrodites transform into
secondary males by losing female structure and function. The proportion of
males depends on the environmental temperature. Below 20°C, majority are
males, above 25°C all are hermaphrodites. It is the only known naturally
occurring, self-fertilizing vertebrate
 Southern tessellated darter
(Etheostoma olmstedi maculaticeps) --A member of the perch families these
fish are generally less than 4.0 to 4.5 inches and found near the bottom of
sandy and muddy pools of headwaters, creeks and small to medium rivers; and
shores of lakes.
 Harlequin darter
(Etheostoma histrio) --Originally found in the much of Mississippi
River drainage area from Kentucky to Louisiana, and from Escambia
River in Florida to Neches River in Texas. Harlequin darters
inhabit sand and gravel runs of small to medium rivers, usually near snags
in swift moving water.
 Shoal bass (Micropterus
cataractae) --The red color of eyes associates shoal bass with redeye
and Suwannee bass at first glance. However, it is more closely related to
the spotted bass morphologically. Shoal bass generally are olive green to
nearly black along the back. A dusky dark blotch about 50-67 percent of the
size of the eye occurs on the back edge of the gill cover. Three diagonal
black lines radiate along the side of the head looking like war paint. 10-15
vertical blotches appear along the sides with tiger-stripes often appearing
in between. The belly is creamy or white and wavy lines may appear slightly
above the white belly on the sides. The shoal bass is common in the
Apalachicola and Chipola Rivers where shoals exists. It is also known in the
Chattahoochee and Flint river drainages. Shoal bass are closely associated
with rock shoals and is uncommon in other habitats. It is the rarity
of the habitat that make them of special concern (see our
bass site
for more).
 Suwannee bass (Micropterus notius)--A
heavy-bodied bass seldom exceeding 12 inches long. The most unique
characteristic of a mature Suwannee bass is its bright turquoise, blue
coloring on the cheeks, breast, and ventral parts. The upper jaw does not
extend beyond the eye. Also, there is a shallow notch between the dorsal
fins with a distinct connection between the spiny and soft-rayed dorsal
fins. A pattern of dark vertical blotches occurs along the lateral line.
There is generally a distinct dark blotch where the lateral line meets the
caudal fin. Scales are present on bases of dorsal, anal and caudal fins.
They are primarily restricted to the Suwannee and Ochlockonee River systems
of Florida and Georgia, but also occupy spring-fed reaches of the Santa Fe
and Ichetucknee rivers, tributaries of the Suwannee River, the St. Marks,
and Aucilla/Wacissa systems. Suwannee bass
generally prefer more rapidly flowing water along rocky shoal areas but are
not restricted to these areas. The Suwannnee bass is designated a "Species
of Special Concern" because of its limited range. Degradation of habitat or
water quality in the Suwannee and Ochlockonee rivers could threaten this
species (see our
bass
site for more).
OBJECTIVE
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) GAP
program was developed to "identify lands in Florida that, at a
minimum, must be conserved and managed in order to ensure the
long-term survival of key components of Florida's biological
diversity." This is being accomplished by:
- identifying habitat areas that are essential to the survival of
rare and declining fish and wildlife species not adequately
protected by the current system of conservation lands;
- identifying areas important to several globally endangered
plants and rare natural communities; and
- identifying regions of high biological diversity ("hot
spots") to assist in local land-use planning.
- The US Geological Service has published information relative
to our freshwater fisheries database for use in Geographic Information
Systems at
http://nas.er.usgs.gov/FLfishes/.
TARGET SPECIES
Table 1 lists freshwater fish
species that were selected for study based upon their federal and
state listing status (Wood,1996); appearance in the most recent
Florida Committee on Rare and Endangered Plants and Animal
(FCREPA)accounts; ranked G1/S1, G2/S2 or G3/S3 by Florida Natural
Areas Inventory (FNAI); or, have been assigned a biological score 24
by Millsap et al. (1990). These species have declining populations in
need of management actions, populations that are vulnerable due to a
restricted habitat preference, or are affected by a limiting factor
that has isolated a population or has the potential to restrict the
population. For the purposes of Phase I and II, occurrence
information and subsequent habitat analyses have been restricted to
species that occur in freshwater rivers and streams.
GIS DATABASE DEVELOPMENT
The first step in the project involved development of a spatially
referenced database of GFC fishcollection records for freshwater
streams. Sampling records that included information on species
abundance, biomass, sampling gear type, summary statistics, and
various collection notes were obtained from GFC regional fishery
biologists and entered into a standardized database. Data from
various completion reports also was entered into the fish collection
database. While all GFC completion reports have not been entered into
the database, 20 years of fisheries data has been compiled for some
river systems. GFC regional fishery biologists also provided
occurrence records for listed or rare species that they may
collecgted apart from routine quantitative survey or sampling
efforts. Latitude and longitude coordinates for collection sites were
obtained using DeLorme Map Expert software. The fish collection
database has been imported into the Geographic Information System
(GIS) in the GFC's Office of Environmental Services. The GIS database
also contains occurrence records from FNAI, the Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP), and GFC's Nongame Wildlife Program.
Data on drainage basins, water quality, and stream reaches were
obtained from DEP and the US Environmental Protection Agency. The US Geological Service has published information relative
to our freshwater fisheries database for use in Geographic Information
Systems at
http://nas.er.usgs.gov/FLfishes/.
LINKAGE BETWEEN FISH SAMPLING RECORDS AND OTHER DATA
 GIS
technology provides the ability to overlay various data layers and
quickly identify patternsthat normally would require significant
database manipulations. The US Geological Survey and DEP have
delineated major and minor watersheds, or hydrologic units (HUC), for
the entire state. These are based upon the stream network and quad
maps. Rare or listed species occurrences from the GFC, FNAI, and DEP
databases were linked with the HUC data layer. Using the HUC provides
a uniform link to data layers developed by other agencies. The
linkage of the fish community information with the HUC provides a
uniform process that can be used in land acquisition and land use
planning.
WATER QUALITY TRENDS
 Water quality trends, noncompliance with water
quality standards, mercury advisories, andbiological trends can be
displayed using GIS. Watersheds where the water quality is
deteriorating or that are in non-compliance, and also contain rare or
listed species can be easily identified. The identification of these
watersheds may indicate an immediate need for management actions.
RELATIONSHIP TO LAND COVER
 GFC previously developed land cover maps using
1985-1989 Landsat satellite imagery. Updatedland cover maps should be
completed within the next two years. Once completed, changes in land
cover type and amount can be quickly determined. Land cover maps that
depict land use change can provide a means of determining the
potential upland threat within watersheds containing rare or listed
species. Acreage of specific land cover types can be used to estimate
sedimentation and non-point source loadings into the rivers and
streams.
WATERSHED PROTECTION STATUS
The identification and location of existing public conservation lands
is important for determining how much of a species potential habitat
is protected. Public land and conservation maps are revised every
year based upon acquisition information provided by the state
agencies, the federal government, local government, and private
conservation groups like The Nature Conservancy. The area of each
rare or listed species watershed that is on public land can be
determined using the public lands overlay. Preliminary results
indicate that limited portions of rare or listed species watersheds
are protected by public lands.
HABITAT CONSERVATION INITIATIVES
 GFC's "Closing the Gaps in Florida's Wildlife
Habitat System" report identified uplands and wetlands that are
important habitat areas and are currently not protected. These areas
are referred to as Strategic Habitat Conservation Areas (SHCA). The
SHCAs include: habitat for 30 species of wildlife inadequately
protected by current conservation lands, high quality sandhill sites,
high quality scrub sites, high quality pine rocklands sites, high
quality examples of tropical hardwood hammocks, bat maternity caves
and roost caves, wetlands important to the breeding success of eight
species of wading birds, and lands important to the long-term
survival of 105 globally rare species of plants. The Aquatic Gap fish
community phase is expected to add to the areas designated as SHCAs
by identifying sub-basins important to the long-term conservation of
rare and listed stream fishes. Once designated, the SCHA maps become
tools for land-use planners and land-acquisition planners in
evaluating development and acquisition proposals. The SCHAs can help
large private landowners in improving the management of their lands.
For More Information Contact:
Theodore Hoehn
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Office of Environmental Services
620 S. Meridian Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1600
850-488-6661
|
|
Black
Bass