Kentucky Today
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced the final recovery plan for the fluted kidneyshell, a freshwater mussel found only in Kentucky and three other states and is listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
The fluted kidney shall is a freshwater mussel found on in Kentucky and three other states. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife photo)
The fluted kidneyshell is what is known as a Cumberlandian Region mussel, meaning it is restricted to the Cumberland (Kentucky and Tennessee) and Tennessee (Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia) River drainages. The species was listed as endangered in October 2013, primarily due to threats associated with loss or alteration of its habitat and was deemed to have a high recovery potential.
Recovery actions for the species will focus on protection and management of current populations, reducing threats to the species, and improving the understanding of the needs of the species through research and monitoring of the population. Reintroduction of the species into suitable habitat areas will also be implemented.
In order to promote and support the conservation and survival of endangered species and threatened species, and provide a transparent path to achieving recovery, the Fish and Wildlife Service and their partners develop and implement recovery plans.
The plans are unique to each species and serve as central organizing tools that provide important guidance on methods of minimizing threats to listed species, such as restoring and acquiring habitat, removing introduced predators or invasive species, conducting surveys, monitoring individual populations, and breeding species in captivity and releasing them into their historical range.
Recovery plans identify measurable and objective criteria against which progress toward recovery of a species can be tracked over time. Recovery plans are guidance and not regulatory documents, and no agency or entity is required by the Endangered Species Act to implement actions in a recovery plan.
The final recovery plan for the fluted kidneyshell can be seen at https://www.fws.gov/media/fluted-kidneyshellfinal-rppdf.
For more information on the fluted kidneyshell, go to https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp/species/1397.
