Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Final Rule To List the Topeka Shiner as Endangered

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determines the Topeka shiner (Notropis topeka) to be an endangered species under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The Topeka shiner is a small fish presently known from small tributary streams in the Kansas and Cottonwood river basins in Kansas; the Missouri, Grand, Lamine, Chariton, and Des Moines river basins in Missouri; the North Raccoon and Rock river basins in Iowa; the James, Big Sioux and Vermillion river watersheds in South Dakota; and, the Rock and Big Sioux river watersheds in Minnesota. The Topeka shiner is threatened by habitat destruction, degradation, modification, and fragmentation resulting from siltation (the build up of silt), reduced water quality, tributary impoundment, stream channelization, and stream dewatering. The species also is impacted by introduced predaceous fishes. This determination implements Federal protection provided by the Act for Notropis topeka. We further determine that designation of critical habitat is neither beneficial nor prudent.