Habitat Declared For Endangered, Ugly Ala Sturgeon

June 4, 2009

Release from: Jay Reeves
Associated Press

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The federal government said Thursday it had designated 326 miles of two rivers as critical habitat for the Alabama sturgeon, an endangered, ugly fish species that industry groups say doesn't even exist.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service set aside 245 miles of the Alabama River and 81 miles of the Cahaba River in the state's southwest as home waters of the bony-plated fish. Tawny orange in color, the fish are reported to live exclusively in the rivers that empty into the Mobile River north of the Gulf of Mexico.

The government decision means wildlife officials will review permits for dredging, industrial discharges and other activities that could affect the waterways where the fish lives, said Jeff Powell, an aquatic species biologist with the Fish and Wildlife Service.

"Anything that would affect the waterflow in the river is really key," Powell said.

The federal agency estimated that protecting the fish will cost the government and industry at least $466,000 and as much as $636,000 over two decades. Opponents, however, fear the costs could rise far higher.

The fish has been the subject of protracted court battles dating to the 1990s.

Industry groups that have fought environmental protections, saying there's really no such thing as an Alabama sturgeon. They contend the fish is genetically identical to the shovelnose sturgeon, which is abundant in the Mississippi River.

The Alabama-Coosa River Improvement Association had no immediate comment on the decision, but its Web site calls the Alabama sturgeon debate "a classic example of environmental zealotry" and a "federal waste in effort and resources."

There's no dispute that the Alabama sturgeon is exceedingly rare. Powell said only two have been captured since it was listed as an endangered species in 2000. That makes it impossible for scientists to attempt to breed more, he said.

"Nothing is being done now because we have only seen one fish in the last five years. The fish is just so rare," said Powell.

The Fish and Wildlife Service says the Alabama sturgeon is the smallest of all North American sturgeon, weighing only 2 to 4 pounds at maturity.

Scientists declared the Alabama sturgeon a unique species in 1991, drawing opposition from industry groups that feared protecting the shovel-nosed fish would cost money and as many as 100,000 jobs from lost economic or industrial activity.

The Alabama-Tombigbee Rivers Association filed a federal lawsuit after wildlife officials designated the Alabama sturgeon as endangered, but the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the decision in 2007.

The Fish and Wildlife Service proposed the area to be designated as the fish's critical habitat last year, and the agency published the rule Tuesday, rejecting industry attempts to chip away at the area.

"It's pretty much a done deal," Powell said.