![]() Space for individual and population growth and for normal behavior įood, water, air, light, minerals, or other nutritional or physiological requirements Within areas occupied by the species, biologists consider physical or biological features needed for life processes. How does the Service determine what areas to designate as critical habitat? The designation will have no impact on private landowners taking actions on their land that do not require federal funding or permits. It also alerts federal agencies that they are required to make special conservation efforts when they work, fund or permit activities in those areas. Critical habitat may also include areas that are not currently occupied by the species but will be needed for its recovery.Įstablishing critical habitat raises awareness of the needs of a species and helps to focus the efforts of our conservation partners. What exactly is critical habitat?Ĭritical habitat is specific geographic areas that contain features essential to the conservation of an endangered or threatened species that may require special management and protection. Accordingly, the Service is proposing to designate critical habitat for the pearl darter and is announcing the availability of a draft economic analysis (DEA) of the proposed designation. That draft economic analysis, as well as pertinent biological information, are now available to make the determination and to analyze the impacts of the proposed designation. At the time of listing, the economic analysis required for a proposed critical habitat designation was not complete, leading the Service to find that critical habitat was not determinable. On September 20, 2017, the Service published a final rule listing the pearl darter as a threatened species. Because of its limited distribution and small population size, the darter is also vulnerable to random threats such as spills and weather events (e.g., drought, floods). ![]() ![]() Threats to the pearl darter surviving in the Pascagoula River system include nonpoint-source pollution (land-surface and stormwater runoff) and point-source pollution, such as wastewater discharged from treatment plants and industrial sites. What are the main threats to the pearl darter? Native to the Pascagoula River system of Mississippi and the Pearl River system of Mississippi and Louisiana, pearl darters continue to survive in the Pascagoula River system but have not been seen in the Pearl River system for more than 40 years. It is a bottom dwelling species generally found over sand, gravel, or bedrock in slow to moderate currents. The pearl darter ( Percina aurora) is a small (2 to 2.5 inches long) snub-nosed fish found in pools or deep runs of flowing streams and rivers. ![]()
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