In mid-October of this year, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that they will be delisting 21 species from the Endangered Species Act. This follows the Fish and Wildlife Service’s September 2021 proposal of 23 species that they were seeking to delist. Were these species removed because their populations rebounded? Nope. They went extinct, though two of the originally proposed 23 species, a Hawaiian perennial herb and the ivory-billed woodpecker, are in a limbo state while the service analyzes more data. What stood out about this list was the taxonomy of the species: most are birds and mussels. The Hawaiian Islands were hit especially hard, as eight out of the ten bird species were only found there. Habitat destruction, diseases, and invasive predators decimated the populations by the mid-1900s. By the time they were placed on the Endangered Species List, it was already too late. According to the American Bird Conservancy, all but one of the species was already extinct by then, and efforts to capture and breed the remaining members of the Po’ouli species failed. The same is true for the eight freshwater mussel species, with ranges throughout the southeastern United States. They were listed as endangered around the same time they were last seen in the wild. Martha Williams, the Director of U.S. Fish and Wildlife, stated that she hoped this would help the public recognize the importance of starting conservation efforts earlier. The Endangered Species Act turned 50 years old this year, and during that time it has been credited with saving 99% of the listed species from extinction.
You may ask, what is the big deal about a bunch of birds and mussels? Birds, and many of the species native to Hawaii, often act as pollinators. Many also spread the seeds and control pest species of insect. Some plant species are now struggling, because their main pollinators and seed dispersal agents are no longer present. If those plants are unable to adapt to this change in their environment, they too may eventually go extinct. On Hawaii the loss of those species is even more devastating because of their cultural significance to the indigenous people. As for why you should care about a bunch of freshwater mussels, our question for you is: do you want clean water or dirty water? Mussels filter the water in the rivers and streams in which they live. A tank full of water with mud and algae will be noticeably cleaner a few hours after mussels are placed inside. Today, though, in many rivers and streams, it is not just algae or mud that the mussels are filtering out: it is also chemicals from fertilizers, production plants, and medications that people have flushed down their toilets. These chemicals are not only dangerous for us but are also dangerous for the mussels. These creatures are incredibly sensitive to contaminants, so it does not take much to throw a population out of whack. On top of the increasing levels of pollution in our waterways, most species of mussel need species of fish in order to reproduce. An adult mussel will lure a fish towards it, and when it is close enough the mussel releases hundreds or even thousands of mussel larvae. The fish carry them around until they are big enough to survive on their own. The problem is that mussel species often only have a handful or even a single fish species with which they engage in this parasitic relationship. Due to water pollution, overharvesting, warming waters, and the damming of waterways, fish populations are also on the decline.
What should be taken away from this delisting is that the species that are protected are not being protected for frivolous reasons, but oftentimes have an impact on resources that impact humans. Conservation actions should be taken earlier to give individual species a better chance. As their populations grow, our natural resources improve and grow as well, and can be sustainably utilized for generations to come.