FWS Estimate As Much as $4 Million to Save Rare Cave Fish Species

The grotto sculpin is a small fish found mostly in cave streams and only within Perry County, Missouri. Now, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that it will take between $140,000 and $4 million over the next 18 years to save the rare species. The question is: is it worth it?

The small species can be found both below and above ground. Adults are more often discovered in cave portions, while juveniles seem to prefer surface springs and streams. Pale in coloration with tiny eyes, these fish spawn in late winter to early spring, laying about 200 eggs which are then guarded by adult males.

Currently, the small fish isn't even classified as being endangered. On May 7, the agency opened a comment period to the public in order to discuss the possibility of designating critical habitat for the cave-dwelling fish. The species actually inhabits the karst system in Missouri in an area with thousands of sinkholes and over 700 caves. The primary cause for concern is the potential for the contamination of its habitat through groundwater that seeps into cave streams, according to the FWS.

So why the wide ranging estimates in how much it would cost to preserve this species? It has everything to do with whether or not its habitat is listed as critical habitat. Baseline protections for the fish would include listing it as threatened or endangered, according to the AP. These listings would provide less rigorous guidelines than if the area was designated as critical habitat.

It's not just the listing that would cause the price to vary. Existing efforts also play a role and might lessen costs to an extent. Currently, the city of Perryville manages about 400 sinkholes to prevent contamination and sediment from hurting underground ecosystems, which are extremely vulnerable to outside influences. In fact, FWS biologists documented two mass die-offs in the cave systems in the last decade because of pollution from a single source entering groundwater, according to the AP.

The comment period will be open through June 6 and the FWS will take all information into account when deciding whether or not to designate whether or not this species will be listed as endangered.