Southeastern Fishes Council
In the News
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Alabama's Vermilion Darter Called Endangered
December 7, 2001
Release from:
ENS
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Alabama - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has listed the vermilion darter, a small, bright colored fish found only in Alabama, as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
"The vermilion darter faces multiple threats, not least of which are its genetic isolation and vulnerability to changes in water quality in the small streams in which it is found," said Southeast regional director Sam Hamilton. "The Service and its partners have already begun stream restoration efforts to benefit the darter, and with the added protection of the Endangered Species Act, we can begin the road to recovery."
The vermilion darter is found only on 7.2 miles of Turkey Creek, a tributary of the Locust Fork of the Black Warrior River in Jefferson County, and the lowermost reaches of Dry Creek and Beaver Creek where they intersect Turkey Creek. The vermilion darter is just under three inches in length with a short head and small pronounced mouth.
The darter faces many threats, including those posed by impoundments that have altered stream dynamics and reduced the species' range, as well as excessive sedimentation and the presence of pollutants such as excess nutrients, pesticides and other agricultural runoff that wash into the Turkey Creek drainage.
Other threats include reduced genetic diversity due to the darter's fragmented population, and the potential that catastrophic events, such as a chemical spill, could decimate its already low population.
A local conservation group, the Society to Advance the Resources of Turkey Creek (START), has worked through the USFWS Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program to minimize pollution within Turkey Creek. The Jefferson County Commission and START also have worked together to plan a nature preserve covering about 630 acres of the watershed.
More information is available at: http://endangered.fws.gov/frpubs/01fedreg.htm
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