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This industry has been accused of being environmentally insensitive and irresponsible. But, are we? A quick review of factors destructive to life on this planet suggests that we are far down the list of dangerous forces. Let’s review the list in relation to species extinction, specifically fish. Why fish? Well, because, in July the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed endangered species status for the Diamond Darter, maintaining that Marcellus shale development in West Virginia was a threat to it. So, let’s have a look.
Extinction history. Nature is the most destructive force in, well, nature. I call anything not man-made “natural,” including asteroids and volcanoes. Below are notable extinction events, most likely associated with those two destructive agents:
- Cretaceous-Paleogen extinction event (65 million years ago)—75% of all species eliminated
- Triassic-Jurrasic extinction event (200 million years ago)—70% to 75% of all species eliminated
- Permian-Triassic extinction event (251 million years ago)—90% to 96% of all species eliminated
- Late Devonian extinction event (360–375 million years ago)—70% of all species eliminated
- Ordovician-Silurian extinction event (440–450 million yeas ago) – 60% to 70% of all species eliminated
That’s a bit rugged. Although there has not been another incident of mass destruction in the last 440 or so million years, the extinction of species continues. According to Noel Burkhead of the U.S. Geological Society, writing in BioScience (September 2012), North American fish are going extinct at an alarming rate. The rate was high, post-1950, but has leveled off in the last decade. Nevertheless, “the number of extinct species has grown by 25% since 1989.” Extinction estimates are complicated. On average, according to Burkhead, 6.7 new species are discovered each year. Occasionally, a species thought to be extinct is rediscovered. But, Burkhead concludes, “between 53 and 86 species of North American freshwater fishes are likely to have gone extinct by 2050, and that the rate of extinction is now at least 877 times the background extinction rate over geological time.”
There are several reasons that the fish extinction rate remains high. First is loss of habitat. Almost 40% of the nation’s freshwater fish species are at risk or vulnerable to extinction, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Habitat loss is the most common cause for freshwater fish extinction in the U.S. over the past century.
One of the worst offenders in this respect is runoff of industrial effluents into streams and rivers, says NOAA. “The northeast U.S. once supported numerous industries that discharged contaminants, such as heavy metals and PCBs, into the region’s waters. The number of industrial sites is much lower today, but their legacy—as pollution leaks from abandoned industrial sites or disposal areas—often remains. Over time, these contaminants concentrate in sediments at the bottom of rivers, lakes and bays. Contaminants often find their way into the food chain, affecting fish directly by killing them or indirectly by affecting growth, behavior and reproduction . . .” Further habitat destruction, due to inland dams, decreases natural nutrient-rich runoff, cuts off fish migration routes, and curbs freshwater flow.
Introduction of new species is also destructive. A Cornell University study reveals that 138 non-indigenous fish species have been introduced into the U.S. (D. Pimentel, L. Lach, R. Zuniga, and D. Morrison, Cornell University, June 12, 1999). “Most of these introduced fish have been established in states with mild climates, such as Florida (50 species) and California (56 species). In Hawaii, 33 non-indigenous freshwater fish species have become established. Forty-four native species are threatened or endangered in the U.S. by non-indigenous species. An additional 27 native fish species are also negatively affected by introductions. Introduced fish species frequently alter the ecology of aquatic ecosystems. For instance, the grass carp reduces natural aquatic vegetation, while the common carp reduces water quality by increasing turbidity. These changes have caused the extinctions of some native fish species.”
What, then, about the Diamond Darter? It’s about 3-5 in. long and buries itself in the river bottom, from which it ambushes insects. So, you are not likely to see one. It is found exclusively in the Elk River of West Virginia, part of the Ohio River basin. There aren’t many of them. Fewer than 50 have been collected in the past 30 years. According to the study, “dams, pollution, and heavy use of the water it depended on (have) wreaked havoc on its populations, in part because the fish needs clean water...”
Ah, let’s see what we have here. It is a small fish that you can’t see, because it is buried. It has been decimated by water impoundment, pollution and intense water use. It has no intrinsic value as a food source, environment enhancer or, even, as a visually pleasant object. There are not very many of them, and those that do exist are in danger from ongoing and abandoned industrial development. It is a continuation of an ongoing extinction of fish species dating back 440–450 million years. Extinction rates for fish are 877 times the total species rate over geologic time. And, Marcellus shale development poses a threat sufficient to declare it an endangered species?”
I am not sure I understand. The Attwater Prairie Chicken, the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard and, now, the Diamond Darter are all threatened by the oil and gas industry? Are not these all species that were under threat long before current oil and gas operations began in their habitats? Surely we aren’t targeted at every opportunity, warranted or not. No, that just can’t be. 
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