This fish was believed extinct before being found in West Virginia

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — This fish is so rare it was thought to be extinct. That was, until 1980, when it was discovered in West Virginia.

If you’ve been fishing for a while, you’re probably familiar with bass, bluegill, walleye and several other species of fish, but chances are you’ve never encountered the tiny diamond darter, which is now found only in the Mountain State.

According to the Center for Biological Diversity website the diamond darter was once found in five states: Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee and West Virginia, but damming and water pollution have since limited its range. The species can now only be found in the Elk River in southern West Virginia, and fewer than 125 have been seen in the past 30 years.

They can live between two and seven years and feed on insects by burying themselves in sand and then darting out to ambush their pray. Water pollution caused by coal mining, oil and gas development, erosion, timber harvesting and poor wastewater treatment is a threat to the fish because they—and the insects they feed on—require clean water to lay their eggs. Small population size and population isolation are also issues.

The diamond darter was declared an endangered species in 2013 and was also named one of the 12 most imperiled fish by the Southeastern Fishes Council.

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