Good news for the Modoc sucker!

Little fish makes big comeback in Northern California and Southern Oregon

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The population of a little fish found only in certain high-desert creeks in Northern California and Southern Oregon has recovered enough to be taken off the endangered species list.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently proposed that the Modoc sucker (pictured)—which grows to be about 7 inches long and lives up to five years—be delisted after almost 30 years on the endangered species list, according to The Associated Press.

“The Endangered Species Act has not only helped prevent the Modoc sucker from going extinct, it has also promoted its recovery to the point that today, [and] we believe that federal protections are no longer needed,” said Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe.

In 1985, when it was first listed as endangered, the Modoc sucker was present in only seven streams covering 12.9 miles; today, it inhabits 12 streams covering 42.5 miles.