Threatened status proposed for N.C. mussel species
The green floater is a candidate for threatened species status. Ryan Hagerty/USFWS photo
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to list the green floater, a freshwater mussel found in North Carolina, as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.
The mussel was historically found in 10 states and the District of Columbia but is now found in only seven states — Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. Its range in North Carolina includes blocks of the central part of the state north across the Virginia line. While the species has strongholds in places, green floaters are rare in nearly 80% of the watersheds where they occur.
The USFWS believes the species is at risk of becoming endangered due to the loss, fragmentation and degradation of its aquatic habitat.
Comments on the proposal to list the mussel will be accepted through Sept. 25. A final decision is expected within a year.
Submit comments online at regulations.gov using the docket number FWS-R5-ES-2023-0012. For best results, type the number into the search box rather than copying and pasting.
