New App May Protect Endangered Species with Technology, Backed by the FWS.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is partnering with a company called FishBrain to back an app that may just help save endangered species of fish. This free-to-us app and social network for anglers may help the American public identify and document threatened, endangered and candidate species.

The app enables FishBrain users to log sightings of up to 50 at-risk species during their regular fishing trips. This may help conservationists determine where the animals are found, the habitat they need and reasons for their decline.

"The first step towards conservations is always education and engagement, and we are excited to work with FishBrain to help us reach a new audience," said Gary Frazer, Assistant Director of the Service's Ecological Services Program, in a news release. "Anglers are extremely important to protecting and maintaining healthy aquatic habitats. This is a unique opportunity to synthesize recreational anglers information and knowledge in local waterways and expand our understanding of various species."

The final list of species provided to FishBrain actually includes animals acoss the United States that are protected as threatened and endangered under the Endangered Species Act, as well as candidates for federal protection and those protected as threatened or endangered by individual states. Examples include fish such as the shortnose sturgeon, birds such as the whooping crane and amphibians such as the California red-legged frog.

"Of all the different hobbyists, anglers are among the best when it comes to being aware of then eed for conservation," said Johan Attby, CEO of FishBrain. "The natural world is such an important aspect of everyone's lives, but it is anglers who are able to experience and appreciate it on a day-to-day basis."

For more information about the app and in order to download the FishBrain app yourself, visit the App Store here.

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