A creature native to Ohio, thought to be locally extinct, was recently found again in the Ohio River.
The Ohio Division of Wildlife shared a photo of the "striking" longhead darter fish, a species thought to be "extirpated," to social media Thursday.
A creature that is extirpated is thought to be locally extinct but not globally extinct.
One was collected below the Montgomery Dam near Pittsburgh and the other was collected below the New Cumberland Dam, near Stratton, Ohio, said John Navarro, the administrator of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife aquatic stewardship program.
They were the first Ohio captures since 1939, when seven were found in the Walhonding River in east-central Ohio.
Navarro said he “definitely” thinks that longhead darters are making a comeback in the state and the Ohio River, thanks to the increase in water quality following the years since the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972, which helped regulate water pollution.
They have also been found in the Allegheny River, upstream from the Ohio River.
Longhead darters are carnivorous freshwater ray-finned fish, that prefer a habitat of rocky pools, creeks and small-to-medium sized rivers. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, longhead darters are known or believed to live in Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and West Virginia.
They were likely able to evade detection because of water quality and habitat, Navarro said. Because the water quality in the Ohio River was poor before the Clean Water Act, they were forced to “hang out” in other areas.
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