Fish and Wildlife Service Suggest Spending as Much as $4 Million to Save This Fish

The grotto sculpin, a small fish endemic to an area of Missouri characterized by its caves and sinkholes, is in danger of becoming extinct, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The agency has proposed protecting the species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

First identified as a candidate for the ESA in 2002, the fish faces what appears to be a losing battle with water pollution given the ease with which its habitat is contaminated via pollutants and other substances that quickly find their way to underground waterways. In fact, Biologists have documented two mass die-offs in the caves that the fish inhabits due to groundwater pollution, according to a press release issued by the Service.

Required by the ESA is the identification of areas considered essential for the conservation of the species. By doing so, government agencies are able to identify actions that may affect listed species or their habitat and to work with the Service to either minimize those impacts or get rid of them altogether.

For this reason, the Service proposed 36 miles of underground aquatic habitat in "recharge" areas in addition to 19 miles of surface stream as a critical habitat for the grotto sculpin.

However, of the total land demarcated by the Service, 89 percent of the underground habitat and all of the surface streams are located on private lands, though the agency assures that “activities on these lands are not affected now, and will not necessarily be affected if the species is protected under the ESA in the future.”

Ultimately, when it comes to costs, the Service seems unsure, citing a range of $140,000 to $4 million over the next 18 years, according to a report by the Associated Press.

“The economic analysis considers economic impacts expected solely as a result of critical habitat designation, rather than as a result of ‘baseline protection,’” Laura Ragan of the agency’s Division of Endangered Species said, according to the news outlet.

The Service is accepting comments from the public until June 6, at which point it will review them.