Sharpnose Shiner and Smalleye Shiner Federally Protected
by Kevin Ramberg
A view of the Brazos River, parts of which are home to the Sharpnose Shiner and Smalleye Shiner
On August 4, 2014 the USFWS determined endangered species status under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, for the sharpnose shiner (Notropis oxyrhynchus) and smalleye shiner (N. buccula), two fish species from Texas.
The federal register document on the final rule of the Determination of Endangered Species Status for the Sharpnose Shiner and Smalleye Shiner can be downloaded here:
SMALLEYE SHINER | Photo Credit: Chad Thomas, fishesoftexas.org
Critical habitat for the sharpnose shiner and smalleye shiner has been designated under the Act. USFWS has designated a single critical habitat unit divided into six subunits in Texas. These subunits occupy approximately 1,002 river kilometers, or approximately 623 miles, of the upper Brazos River basin as well as thirty meters of uplands on either side of the river channel.
The sharpnose shiner and smalleye shiner currently occupy these six subunits of the upper Brazos River basin:
Upper Brazos River main stem
Salt Fork of the Brazos River
White River
Double Mountain Fork of the Brazos River
North Fork Double Mountain Fork of the Brazos River
South Fork Double Mountain Fork of the Brazos River.
The federal register document on the final rule of Designation of Critical Habitat for Sharpnose Shiner and Smalleye Shiner can be downloaded here:
A map of the critical habitat units for the shaprnose shiner and smalleye shiner can be viewed by clicking here.