MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – The stippled studfish, a freshwater species found only in Alabama, is “swimming closer to Endangered Species Act protection” according to a release from the Center for Biological Diversity.
The Center submitted a petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) asking for the protection.
A document from the FWS shows that the fish “presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the petitioned actions may be warranted,” and the department is now “initiating status reviews of these species to determine whether the petitioned actions are warranted.”
Once the status review is complete, the service will “issue 12-month petition findings, which will address whether or not the petitioned actions are warranted.”…