Loss of Wetlands Threatens State’s Shrimp, Study Says
The federal government declared four species of California shrimp threatened or endangered Thursday because of loss of wetlands.
Most of the threatened wetlands habitat is in the Central Valley, although the shrimp exist in at least 13 counties, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said.
“An exhaustive review of all the available data makes it clear that listing is warranted,” Fish and Wildlife Service Director Mollie Beattie said in a news release. The agency will soon outline proposals to preserve wetlands, she said.
The threatened or endangered shrimp are known to exist in Butte, Contra Costa, Glenn, Merced, Riverside, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Shasta, Solano, Tehama, Tulare and Ventura counties, the agency said.
Designated as endangered were the conservancy fairy shrimp, the longhorn fairy shrimp and the vernal pool tadpole shrimp. Listed as threatened was the vernal pool fairy shrimp.
Beattie said only a fraction of the proposed development projects in the region would be hurt by the listing.
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