The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced that the final recovery plan for the grotto sculpin has been released and is now available to help guide in efforts to save the species from extinction.
The recovery plan reportedly focuses on addressing threats and preventing fish kills through improvements to groundwater quality. The plan also focuses on improving the species’ overall chances of survival by improving their habitat.
The grotto sculpin is a rare, endangered cave-dwelling fish unique to five cave systems in Perry County. The fish is small, measuring on average 2.5 inches in length, and like many cave-dwelling organisms, it is pale in color and nearly blind.
This species was federally listed as endangered in 2013 under the Endangered Species Act due to its limited range, isolated populations, and pollution-related mortality in its underground habitats. Population-scale fish kills are a significant concern, as surface contaminants can wash into the cave streams where the grotto sculpin live.
“Recovery progress is contingent on cooperation among many private, local, state and federal partners, including support from Perry County’s citizens, such as local farmers, industry leaders, real estate managers, business owners, elected government officials and many other individuals and groups,” said Fish and Wildlife Biologist Vona Kuczynska, with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Missouri Ecological Services Field Office in Columbia. “We are proud to work with Perry County to protect this ecosystem that is home to remarkable cave species like the grotto sculpin.
“Partnerships have been critical in preventing the further decline of this species and provide a solid foundation for recovery actions. The community has already enacted a wide variety of conservation actions, such as cleaning out and stabilizing many eroding sinkholes and conducting workshops on improving water quality and reducing soil erosion into sinkholes and streams. These environmental benefits also extend to other fish and wildlife and Perry County residents who rely on streams in the area for recreation, tourism, and drinking water supply.
According to Kuczynska, recovery planning is one step in a process to address threats to endangered and threatened species.
“Plans provide a road map for private, tribal, federal and state cooperation in conserving listed species and their ecosystems,” she said. “While a recovery plan provides guidance on how best to help listed species achieve recovery, it is not a regulatory document.”
The Recovery Plan for the Grotto Sculpin and the Species Status Assessment Version 1.1 are available on the Grotto Sculpin ECOS webpage.