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Lois Grunwald, 805/644-1766, ext. 332; cell, 805/794-0225

1/23/2006

Recovery Plan for Tidewater Goby Now Available

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced it has released a final recovery plan for the tidewater goby (Eucyclogobius newberryi), a small Federally endangered fish that lives in estuaries and lagoons along the California coast from Del Norte to northern San Diego counties.

"We'll continue to work with our partners to increase tidewater goby populations and move the species closer to recovery," said Diane Noda, field supervisor for the Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office.

The recovery plan describes the tidewater goby's status and current management, recovery objectives and criteria, and actions needed to downlist the species and remove it from the Federal list of threatened and endangered species. Recommended actions necessary for recovery of the tidewater goby include:

·                     Protecting and enhancing the gobies' current habitat;  

·                     Preventing further losses of tidewater goby habitat and reducing or stabilizing exotic fish species that either feed on or compete with the tidewater goby;

·                     Conducting research to integrate land use practices - such as those that affect a stream's channel or increase sedimentation - with tidewater goby recovery; and,

·                     Evaluating the possibility of relocating tidewater gobies to establish new populations.

The grayish-brown tidewater goby, listed as an endangered species in 1994, lost a significant portion of its habitat during the past 150 years to coastal development.

Restoring an endangered or threatened species to the point where it is again a secure, self-sustaining member of its ecosystem is the primary goal of the Endangered Species Act. Recovery plans provide a blueprint for actions by Federal, State, and other public agencies and private interests in the conservation of a species and its ecosystems. Recovery plans do not oblige the expenditure of funds or require that actions be implemented.

The final recovery plan can be viewed or downloaded from http://www.fws.gov/ventura/ . At the web site, go to Information and Education and click on the news release.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 544 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 Fish and Wildlife Management offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to State fish and wildlife agencies.

 -FWS-

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