Georgia have been added to the Federal list of endangered and threatened species, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Regional Director Sam Hamilton announced today . The fat threeridge, shinyrayed pocketbook, Gulf moccasinshell, and oval pigtoe mussels are listed as endangered and the Chipola slabshell and purple bankclimber are listed as threatened. The Endangered Species Act defines a threatened species as likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future, while an endangered species is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.
Mussels are generally the first animals to be lost when water quality deteriorates.
All seven species are found in small numbers at nearly every site, and there is little or no evidence of reproduction. Their numbers and distribution have decreased due to habitat loss associated with reservoir construction, channel construction and maintenance, and erosion. Hamilton said that there are currently more than 60 species of mussels listed in the United States and noted that listings have had little effect on private activities such as forestry, agriculture, land development, and home construction. C 297 individual species. However, mussels have declined more than any other group of wide-ranging native animals.