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Wildlife: Silent Streams?
Some 700 fish species in North American springs, rivers and lakes are in jeopardy, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey-led team of scientists from the United States, Canada and Mexico. Nearly 40 percent of the continent's fishes are in jeopardy, primarily due to habitat loss and invasive species. "This estimate does not include the potential negative effects of climate change—for example, recent severe droughts," says Noel Burkhead, an author of the study.
Fish most in jeopardy include salmon and trout of the Pacific Coast and western mountain regions, along with minnows, suckers and catfish throughout the continent, darters in the Southeast and pupfish in the Southwest. Twenty-two percent of sunfishes, which includes the popular black bass, bluegill and rock bass, are also in trouble.
More proactive management strategies and improved public awareness is needed, say the authors, if we hope to turn the table on such precipitous declines.
