American eel endangered species decision will be announced

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has reviewed the status of the American eel, a wide-ranging species found from Greenland, south along the North American coast to Brazil in South American, and as far inland as the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River drainage. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) asked the USFWS to prepare this review. Following that request, two individuals petitioned for Endangered Species Act protection for the American eel. Eel information may be found at http://www.fws.gov/northeast/ameel.

When: 11:30 a.m. (eastern time) Tuesday, Jan. 30

in; -1inWhat: News media teleconference to announce the decision on whether the American eel warrants Endangered Species Act protection. in; -1in in; -1inWho: Heather Bell, fisheries biologist, lead for the status review preparation, USFWS, Hadley, Mass. in; -1in in; -1in David Perkins, Ph.D., senior fishery biologist, USFWS, Hadley, Mass. in; -1in inSteve Minkkinen, Project Leader, Maryland Fishery Resources Office, Annapolis, Md., and USFWS representative to ASMFCs American eel technical committee in

Mark A. Cantrell, fish and wildlife biologist, USFWS, Asheville, N.C.

inRobert Beal, Director, Interstate Fisheries Management Program, ASMFC, Washington, D.C. in; -1in in; -1inWhere: Credentialed media only: inCall 1-888-390-9070; passcode is Marty; call leader is Diana Weaver in in; -1in

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