PETITION TO LIST THE Sturgeon Chub (Macrhybopsis gelida) and Sicklefin Chub (Macrhybopsis meeki) UNDER THE U.S. ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT Top: Sturgeon Chub (Macrhybopsis gelida). Bottom: Sicklefin Chub (Macrhybopsis meeki). Photos © David Ostendorf, used with permission. Petition Submitted to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior Acting through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Petitioner: WildEarth Guardians 2590 Walnut St. Denver, Colorado 80205 (720) 443-2615 Address correspondence to: Taylor Jones
[email protected] August 11, 2016 INTRODUCTION WildEarth Guardians (Guardians) respectfully requests that the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) list the Sturgeon Chub (Macrhybopsis gelida) and the Sicklefin Chub (Macrhybopsis meeki) as “threatened” or “endangered” under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) (16 U.S.C. §§ 1531-1544). WildEarth Guardians also requests that the Service designate critical habitat for these species. Sicklefin and Sturgeon Chub are small fish that inhabit large, free-flowing riverine systems, characterized by swift flows, highly variable flow regimes, braided channels, high turbidity, and sand/fine gravel substrates. Both species are in decline due to severe habitat changes. In particular, the construction and operation of mainstem dams has fragmented the habitat of the Sicklefin and Sturgeon Chub. ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT AND IMPLEMENTING REGULATIONS The ESA, 16 U.S.C. §§ 1531-1544, was enacted in 1973 “to provide a means whereby the ecosystems upon which endangered species and threatened species depend may be conserved, [and] to provide a program for the conservation of such endangered species and threatened species.” 16 U.S.C. § 1531(b).