APPALACHIAN REGION — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the successful hatching and first molt of Big Sandy crayfish juveniles, a threatened freshwater species native to streams in Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia.

The hatchlings originate from Dismal Creek, a tributary of the Big Sandy River in Virginia. Officials said the effort is part of a collaboration with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources to restore populations in Dismal Creek and the Levisa Fork.

The Big Sandy crayfish was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 2016. Conservationists said milestones like these represent important steps toward stabilizing and restoring the species’ numbers in its native habitat.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service