Judge says protections for eastern hellbender should be reconsidered

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — In a victory for conservation groups, a federal judge on Wednesday overturned a finding that the eastern hellbender does not need protection under the Endangered Species Act.

U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman in New York set aside the 2019 finding by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and ordered the agency to undertake a new analysis on whether the salamander should be listed as threatened or endangered.

The eastern hellbender is an aquatic salamander that lives in rivers and streams across the eastern United States, stretching from New York to Alabama. Several conservation groups filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump-era finding that the eastern hellbender did not need the federal protections.

“This ruling is a lifesaving victory for hellbenders and their declining freshwater habitats,” said Elise Bennett, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement.

“The Fish and Wildlife Service can no longer ignore overwhelming scientific evidence that hellbenders are in danger of extinction and face even greater threats ahead. These odd and charming salamanders can survive, but they desperately need the help of the Endangered Species Act,” Bennett said.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2021 listed eastern hellbender populations in Missouri as endangered, but other populations were not.