U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Conservation Agreement

and Strategy for the

Alabama Sturgeon

The Issue

In March 1999, the U.S.

Fish and Wildlife

Service proposed to list

the Alabama sturgeon

as an endangered

species primarily due

to its low population

numbers and

subsequent lack of

ability to sustain itself

through natural

reproduction. The

proposed listing

generated substantial

interest and resulted in

the development of a

conservation

agreement and strategy

for the Alabama

sturgeon.

The Agreement and Strategy

A Conservation Agreement for the

Alabama Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus

suttkusi) and a Conservation Strategy for

the Alabama Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus

suttkusi) were prepared by the Alabama

Department of Conservation and Natural

Resources, Alabama-Tombigbee Rivers

Coalition, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

and the Service and were signed on

February 9, 2000.

The Agreement and Strategy were

developed as a collaborative and

cooperative effort among state and

federal resource agencies and private

sector partners to expedite the

implementation of conservation measures

needed to ensure the continued existence

and recovery of the Alabama sturgeon.

The goal of the Agreement is to eliminate

or significantly reduce current threats to

the Alabama sturgeon and its habitat by:

■ restoring and maintaining sufficient

numbers of Alabama sturgeon through

hatchery propagation and

augmentation;

■ identifying and protecting existing

occupied Alabama sturgeon habitat;

and

■ developing information on the fish’s

life history and habitat needs, and

using this information in

implementation of conservation

measures and management strategies.

The Agreement will be accomplished

through implementation of the Strategy.

The Strategy describes specific actions

required to expedite implementation of

conservation measures for the Alabama

sturgeon and to establish benchmarks to

measure the success of the program.

Benefits Realized

The Agreement and Strategy identify and

set into motion, early on, the best actions

that can be taken to conserve and recover

the Alabama sturgeon. They are one of

several factors that were considered in

the decision to list the Alabama sturgeon

as endangered under the Endangered

Species Act, which was announced on

May 2, 2000.

The Agreement and Strategy represent

an important step in conserving and

restoring the Alabama sturgeon. They

will serve as the blueprint for the

recovery plan required under the

Endangered Species Act.

Tracking Results

Implementation of this 10-year

Conservation Agreement and Strategy

for the Alabama Sturgeon is underway

and will be measured by annual reviews.

For more information contact

J. Mitch King

Geographic Assistant Regional Director

Area 2

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

1875 Century Boulevard

Atlanta, GA 30345

404/679 7180

May 2, 2000
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Questions and Answers

Why did the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

craft such a comprehensive plan and then

list the fish anyway?

The Agreement and Strategy and the

decision to list the Alabama sturgeon as

endangered are two related, but

independent actions. While the

Agreement and Strategy identify and set

into motion the best actions that can be

taken to conserve and recover the

Alabama sturgeon, they have not yet been

effective in removing the threats

identified in the final rule.

Conservation actions for the Alabama

sturgeon conducted over the past years

by the State, the Service and other

concerned parties under a draft

conservation plan have increased our

knowledge of methods to capture the fish

and maintain it in captivity. Nevertheless,

the species remains vulnerable to

extinction because of its small population

size and restricted range.

Early this year, we were requested by the

State of Alabama to develop a formal

Conservation Agreement and Strategy

with the State and others to continue and

to increase conservation efforts for the

Alabama sturgeon. We worked with them

to develop a conservation strategy that is

technologically and economically feasible

and that, if successfully implemented,

would address the threats to the

continued existence of the Alabama

sturgeon.

We believe that the Strategy is the best

approach for conservation of the Alabama

sturgeon; however, the certainty and

effectiveness of these efforts in removing

existing threats remains unproven and

dependent upon many factors beyond

human control. For example, the Strategy

can only be effective if sufficient mature

fish of both sexes can be captured. In the

past 4 years we have only captured five

fish. Three of these fish died and the two

remaining fish are both males.While the

Strategy calls for a dramatic increase in

capture efforts over the next decade, the

capture of sufficient number of fish

cannot be guaranteed.

Therefore, based on our analysis, the

signing of the Conservation Strategy and

its initial implementation do not remove

existing threats to the Alabama sturgeon

to a degree that the fish no longer

warrants listing under the Act.

What will listing accomplish that the

Conservation Agreement and Strategy

couldn’t have accomplished just as well?

What other benefit will listing confer?

Listing the Alabama sturgeon as

endangered will add emphasis to the

population and habitat protection and

recovery efforts identified in the

Agreement and Strategy. The

Endangered Species Act requires Federal

agencies to use their resources to

conserve the Alabama sturgeon and to

assure that existing habitats are not

further degraded. For more information,

see Q&A Nos. 2 and 4.*

Are the Conservation Agreement and

Strategy still in effect now that the

Alabama sturgeon is listed? Are they still

of value?

Yes. The Service’s involvement in the

development of the Conservation

Agreement and Strategy was not

contingent upon the species’ status under

the Act. We worked to help draft the best

strategy for the Alabama sturgeon

whether or not it was listed. We stand

firmly behind our commitments outlined

in the Agreement and Strategy. The

Conservation Strategy provides the best

available actions for the conservation of

the Alabama sturgeon, and may lead to

its eventual recovery. The Strategy has

outlined what the species needs for

recovery, and it will make an excellent

recovery plan.

In addition, successful implementation of

the Strategy as a recovery plan provides

many other benefits. For example,

implementing the Strategy under our

recovery program and continued

cooperation among the signatory parties

will ensure and facilitate compliance with

the Act, thereby reducing the potential of

frivolous lawsuits.

The Alabama sturgeon Conservation

Strategy and Agreement are vitally

important documents. We are way ahead

in the recovery process by having

developed these documents. Their

implementation under the ESA’s recovery

process will benefit the Alabama sturgeon

as well as all of the parties to the

Agreement. We are counting on the State,

Corps, and Rivers Coalition to continue to

work with us to draft and implement a

recovery plan based on the Strategy. For

more information, see Q&A Nos. 5 and 6.

* See the more extensive Questions and

Answers on the decision to list the

Alabama sturgeon that appear in a

separate document.