Hellbender
Conservation
There is no
doubt that hellbender populations have declined dramatically over the past
several centuries, especially during the 1900's. 
Unfortunately,
biologists don't have much baseline data to go on - we don't know how
widespread hellbender populations were in the past because no one was
studying hellbender populations in the 17- or 1800's, or even into most of
the 1900's for that matter. It is clear, however, that hellbenders have
declined in many stream over the past few decades and they are gone from
large areas where good habitat probably once existed.
The good news
is that there are
still some very good hellbender streams remaining, mainly in Georgia, Tennessee,
North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. Several good streams also
remain in some parts of Pennsylvania. Populations in the Ozark Mountains
are nearly gone, or have drastically declined.
The
only logical strategy now is to try to make sure that good streams remain
good streams. This will take a lot of effort and careful planning in the
way we as humans develop or protect landscapes.
So
what's causing the decline of hellbenders?
-
Siltation.
This is by far the main cause of hellbender declines! The
siltation of streams because of poor agricultural practices,
urbanization (building housing developments along streams), poor forestry
practices, and
road-building are the major culprits leading to the degradation of
many hellbender streams. Runoff of soil (sediment) into streams
smothers rocks and basically chokes out the habitat that hellbenders
and numerous other stream-dwellers need for survival.
-
Dams have
greatly impacted hellbender populations. Many river systems, including the Tennessee and Ohio Rivers were once
free-flowing, shallow rivers that could have supported large hellbender
populations. Damming of these rivers and their tributaries have
converted these habitats into slow moving lakes no longer
suitable for species like the hellbender.
-
Killing
of hellbenders by fishermen is still a problem in some heavily fished
areas. Hellbenders are wrongly thought to be poisonous, or they are
thought to eat large amounts of game fish. Both of these ideas are
purely myths. In the early 1920's and 30's, there were actually
bounties on hellbenders. These bounties, usually about 25 cents per
hellbender, were aimed at eliminating hellbenders from "trout
streams." If you fish the streams in and around the mountains of
the eastern United States, seeing a hellbender is one of the best
indications that the stream you are in is extremely healthy!
-
Overcollection
for the pet trade has dramatically reduced hellbender populations in
some streams. Hellbenders live a long time and the young have
low survival. This strategy
makes hellbenders especially vulnerable to overcollection. If adults
are taken out of their natural habitat, the population as a whole
suffers.
-
Endocrine
disruptors are just starting to be
studied by several researchers as a possible reason for hellbender
decline in the Midwest (Arkansas and Missouri). Some chemicals,
including certain pesticides, are known to indirectly affect the
reproduction of some animal species. Hellbender reproduction may be
affected by some of the chemical compounds now found in their rivers.
Go here
to read about some of Dr. Yue-wern Huang's research regarding
endocrine disruption in amphibians.
The
Conservation Status of Hellbenders
Hellbenders
are not yet listed as an Endangered or Threatened Species by the federal
government, but many states have given them protective status.
"Protection", however, doesn't necessarily mean that hellbender
habitat is protected from human impacts. In most cases protective status
just means that hellbenders can't be collected from the wild and that more information
needs to be gathered about their status. Assessments are currently
underway to determine whether they should be given federal protection.
Federal status would greatly improve the ability of conservation
biologists to actually protect the hellbender and its habitat.
Here's an
overview of each state's laws regarding hellbenders. West Virginia still groups hellbenders
with smaller salamanders
that can be collected as bait. This loophole needs to be fixed.
|
STATE |
STATUS |
PROTECTION |
| Alabama |
Protected as non-game species |
No collectin or possession |
| Arkansas |
Endangered |
No collection or possession |
| Georgia |
Threatened |
No collection or possession without permit |
| Indiana |
Endangered |
No collection or possession |
| Illinois |
Endangered |
No collection or possession |
| Kentucky |
Special Concern |
Illegal to sell |
| Maryland |
Endangered |
No collection or possession |
| Mississippi |
S1 Species (extremely rare) |
Not Sure |
| Missouri |
Endangered |
No collection or possession |
| New York |
Special Concern |
Not protected |
| North Carolina |
Special Concern |
No collection or possession without
permit |
| Ohio |
Endangered |
No collection or possession |
| Pennsylvania |
None |
None |
| Tennessee |
Deemed in Need of Management |
No collection or possession |
| Virginia |
Special Concern |
No possession or collection (No take) |
| West
Virginia |
Special
Concern |
Protected,
except loophole as bait |
Note: The
status of hellbenders may have changed since this website was produced.
Check with each state to be sure of laws. If you know of a law that has
changed, please contact me.
Copyright 2006. This site
developed and maintained by Jeff Humphries.
If you have questions or comments, please send an email to jeff@hellbenders.org.
