Tag: Big Sandy crayfish

New Protections Proposed For Imperiled Crayfish Species

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service is proposing new protections for two threatened species of crayfish found in the Appalachian coalfields.

Under the new proposed rule, set to be published Tuesday in the Federal Register, the agency will designate 445 miles of streams in West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia as “critical habitat” for the Guyandotte River crayfish and Big Sandy crayfish. 

Both species have lost much of their habitat across Appalachia due to water pollution from mountaintop coal mining. 

The proposal includes more than 360 miles of stream for the Big Sandy crayfish in Martin and Pike Counties, Kentucky; Buchanan, Dickenson, and Wise Counties, Virginia; and McDowell, Mingo, and Wayne Counties, West Virginia. 

Eighty-four miles of stream in Logan and Wyoming Counties, West Virginia, are proposed as critical habitat for the Guyandotte River crayfish. Researchers have confirmed the Guyandotte River crayfish has lost more than 90 percent of its range and is now found only in two streams in Wyoming County. 

“This really is a ray of light for both of these species’ chances at survival into the future,” said Perrin de Jong, a staff attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. 

The environmental group took legal action against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regarding the two crayfish species. The crayfish were protected in 2016 under the Endangered Species Act.

“This is going to create extra layers of protection for anyone who wants to go in and muck up their existing habitat, where they live today,” de Jong said. “And it’s also going to create critical tools for protecting the habitat that they will need to expand into in order to really have a long-term chance of survival as a species.”

The Fish and Wildlife Service will accept public comments on the proposal for 60 days.

Crayfish Conservation Effort to Take Place in Southern W.Va.

The West Virginia Division of Highways is providing nearly $180,000 to West Liberty University to determine the effects of construction activities on endangered crayfish.

The West Virginia Division of Highways, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and West Liberty University are working together to move two protected crayfish species from bridge updates and replacements occurring in the next several years. 

“The Division of Highways is thrilled to be part of an initiative that will benefit so many people as well as a native West Virginia species,” WVDOH Natural Resource Unit leader Traci Cummings said in a press release.

WVDOH endangered species specialist Sydney Burke added, “Transportation projects give us opportunities to work on rare wildlife in the area, and to find ways to conserve those species while ensuring the state’s roads and bridges are up to date and safe.”

The conservation initiative in the Big Sandy River watershed will begin in 2020. Undergraduate and graduate students from WLU Professor Zachary Loughman’s lab conducting field work with crayfish.

“My students and I want to do everything we can to get the word out about crayfish, why they’re important and what we need to do to save them,” Loughman said. “Through this initiative, we are excited to foster the connection communities already have with the streams and rivers in this region.

Students from West Liberty will track crayfish movements to better understand how they live, how they respond to bridge construction, and how the Division of Highways can improve bridge design and construction process to lessen the impacts on the populations.

The crayfish were protected in 2016 under the Endangered Species Act. 

Ongoing erosion and sedimentation have made many streams within the region uninhabitable for the species. The Big Sandy crayfish (Cambarus callainus) is found in six isolated populations across Floyd and Pike counties, Kentucky; Buchanan, Dickenson, and Wise counties, Virginia; and McDowell and Mingo counties, West Virginia. The Guyandotte River crayfish (Cambarus veteranus) is found in only two streams in Wyoming County, West Virginia.

In a press release, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wrote tips on how anyone can help keep streams healthy for crayfish, trout and other wildlife:

  • Drive ATVs and vehicles on designated trails and not through or in streams.
  • Don’t dump chemicals into streams and report chemical spills to state environmental protection agencies.
  • During timber harvest, construction, or other projects, implement best management practices for sediment and erosion control.
  • Start a watershed group or assist in stream and water quality monitoring efforts.
  • Plant trees and other native woody vegetation along stream banks to help restore and preserve water quality.

Lawsuit Seeks Protections for Crawfish Imperiled by Coal Mining

A federal lawsuit filed this week by an environmental group alleges two protected crayfish species are being harmed by coal mining in West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia.

The suit, filed Wednesday in West Virginia by the Center for Biological Diversity, alleges that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has missed the one-year time frame set under the Endangered Species Act in which to designate habitat areas for the two crayfish species.

The Big Sandy crayfish and Guyandotte River crayfish were protected by the Endangered Species Act in 2016 because of habitat loss and water pollution.

The species are endemic to the Appalachian region. Crayfish are scavengers and play a key role in keeping streams healthy by eating decaying plants and animals. They are an important source of food for birds, fish and mammals.

The suit says the crayfish are “highly imperiled due to declining water quality and habitat loss from coal mining and urban development within their watersheds.”

A U.S. Fish and Wildlife spokesman declined to comment because the lawsuit is pending.

The Center for Biological Diversity wants a judge to compel the agency to designate habitat areas.

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