Diversity, distribution, and conservation status of the native freshwater fishes of the southern United States

Southeastern Fishes Council Technical Advisory Committee reviewed the diver sity, distribution, status of all native freshwater and diadromous 51 major drainage units of the south- United States. The Southern United States sup ports more native fishes than any area of comparable size on the North Amer ica continent north of Mexico, but also has a high proportion of its fishes need of conservation action. The review included 662 native freshwater and diadromous fishes and marine fishes that are significant components of fre shwater ecosystems. Of this total, 560 described, freshwater fish species a re documented, and 49 undescribed species are included provisionally pendin g formal description. Described subspecies (86) are recognized within 43 sp ecies, 6 fishes have undescribed subspecies, and 9 others are recognized as complexes of undescribed taxa. Extinct, endangered, threatened, or vulnera ble status is recognized for 28% (187 taxa) of southern freshwater and diad romous fishes. To date, 3 southern fishes are known to be extinct throughou t their ranges, 2 are extirpated from the study region, and 2 others may be extinct. Of the extant southern fishes, 41 (6%) are regarded as endangered , 46 (7%) are regarded as threatened, and 101 (15%) are regarded as vulnera ble. Five marine fishes that frequent fresh water are regarded as vulnerabl e. Our assessment represents a 75% increase in jeopardized southern fishes since 1989 and a 125% increase in 20 years. The trend for fishes in the sou thern United States is clear; jeopardizes fishes are successively being mov ed from the vulnerable category to that of imminent threat of extinction.