Source: PRESS RELEASE, 11/15/21
 
Following a petition and lawsuits by the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today listed the Atlantic pigtoe freshwater mussel as threatened under the Endangered Species Act and designated 563 river miles of protected critical habitat in North Carolina and Virginia.

Found on the coastal plain, the Atlantic pigtoe has been lost from more than 60% of its range. Only a few individual mussels survive in most locations because of water pollution from development, agriculture and logging.

“After so many years of foot-dragging by the Fish and Wildlife Service, it’s a relief to finally see the Atlantic pigtoe protected under the Endangered Species Act,” said Perrin de Jong, an Asheville-based staff attorney at the Center. “The Southeast is the world capital of freshwater mussel biodiversity, and most of these mussels are facing extinction due to the rampant abuse of our rivers and streams. Without federal protections, many of these unique and important creatures will vanish forever.”

The Atlantic pigtoe was first identified as needing federal protection in 1991. The Center and allies petitioned for protection of the mussel in 2010. In 2014 the Center sued the Service for failing to protect the species, which led the agency to propose Endangered Species Act protections in 2018. But the Service neglected to list the mussel, and the Center sued for protection again in February 2020.

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