Tag: White Sulphur Springs National Fish Hatchery

Candy Darter Among Endangered Species To Receive Federal Funding

The candy darter is a small fish that lives in the upper Kanawha River Basin in West Virginia and Virginia.

An endangered fish in West Virginia is among 32 species that will benefit from federal funding.

The candy darter is a small fish that lives in the upper Kanawha River Basin in West Virginia and also in Virginia. It’s been listed as an endangered species since 2018.

On Friday, the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced $62 million in funding to help the candy darter and other species recover nationwide.

Rival species are the biggest threat to the candy darter. Unused live bait, when dumped into the streams it inhabits, can breed and outcompete the candy darter for food, habitat and even mates. Pollution and habitat loss have also put pressure on the candy darter.

Last fall, the federal fish hatchery in White Sulphur Springs achieved a milestone when it released hatchery-raised candy darters into the wild, marking the first time that it was done successfully.

West Virginia Fish Hatcher Gets Federal Funds for Repairs

The White Sulphur Springs National Fish Hatchery set to receive $213,000 in federal funds to repair damage from last year’s flooding.

West Virginia’s U.S. senators say the money from the Department of Transportation will be used to repair damage done to trails and other infrastructure by the June 2016 floods.

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito says the hatchery had significant damage and she worked on securing funding so it could reopen.

Sen. Joe Manchin, like Capito a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, says the White Sulphur Springs hatchery has helped keep rivers stocked with fish for more than 100 years.

Hatcher officials say it sustained more than $1.5 million in damages from the floodwaters of Wade’s Creek.

Exit mobile version