PHOENIX, Ariz. – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined that a revision to the critical habitat designation for the Sonora chub may be warranted and will assess critical habitat following the next five-year review for the species.
The Service completed a 90-day finding and 12-month determination in response to a petition to include California Gulch in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, in the critical habitat for the Sonora chub. After a thorough review of the best available scientific and commercial information, Service biologists determined the petition presents substantial scientific information that demonstrates that revision of critical habitat may be warranted.
As part of the 12-month determination, Service biologists will assess critical habitat following the next planned five-year status review for the Sonora chub. After completion of the next status review, the Service will initiate a rulemaking process if revisions to the species’ critical habitat have been determined to be appropriate. The Service completed a five-year status review for the fish in 2022. The next review will be scheduled for release as soon as 2027, as resources allow.
Critical habitat is habitat needed to support recovery of listed species. Designation of critical habitat does not affect land ownership, establish a refuge or preserve, and has no impact on private landowners taking actions on their land that do not require federal funding or federal permits. The Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires the Service to designate and revise critical habitat for listed species based on the best scientific data available. The existing critical habitat for the Sonora chub was designated in 1986 when the minnow was listed as threatened. It includes sections of Sycamore Creek and Peñasco Creek in Santa Cruz County, and encompassed the entire area where the species was known to occur at the time it was listed.
Sonora chub is a desert fish in the minnow family that is found only in some intermittent streams in southeastern Arizona and in intermittent and perennial streams in Sonora, Mexico. It dwells primarily in pools, is highly secretive, and little is known of its behavior and habitat preferences. At the time the species was listed, the primary threats to the species included the presence of exotic fishes and their parasites in its habitat and potential mining activities.
Today’s finding will publish in the Federal Register on July 16, 2024 under Docket No. FWS-R2-ES-2022-0012. Images and other information on the Lower Colorado River DPS of Sonora chub are available on the Service’s species profile page. The Service remains interested in information regarding the status and conservation of, and any potential threat to, the Sonora chub. Please submit information by email to incomingazcorr@fws.gov.
Across the Southwest, the Service is creating new partnerships and augmenting existing partnerships to bolster conservation for at-risk species. Many fish, wildlife and plant species have avoided ESA listing thanks to the collaborative efforts of federal agencies, states, Tribes and private landowners, with the ESA serving as a catalyst for conservation efforts that help protect at-risk species and their habitat.
The ESA provides a critical safety net for fish, wildlife, and plants. It has prevented the extinction of imperiled species and promoted the recovery of many others while providing flexibilities that are instrumental in achieving conservation goals for listed species. To learn more about the Endangered Species program, go to http://www.fws.gov/endangered/.
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