Devils River Minnow
Endangered: Texas
Background
Threats and causes to endangerment
The primary threats to the species include habitat loss and degradation (water quantity and quality) and impacts from non-native species. In areas such as West Texas,when the spring flows are under significant threat of failure when groundwater leves decline.
Possible Course of Action
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s final recovery plan for the minnow, approved in 2005, relies exclusively on voluntary measures for the species’ protection and is insufficient to prevent the fish's extinction, much less promote its recovery.Area landowners can help by protecting the groundwater of the Edwards-Trinity Aquifer.Shortly after the minnow's recovery plan was approved, the Center, Forest Guardians, and Save Our Springs Alliance filed a lawsuit against the Service to challenge the minnow's lack of designated critical habitat. Also the fact that it has been granted only threatened instead of an endangered status. We continue to work for river protection to save the habitat of the