The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service extended Endangered Species Act protection to eight species of freshwater mussels and 1,494 miles of stream in Alabama and Florida today, following an agreement reached with the Center for Biological Diversity in 2011 to speed protection decisions for 757 species around the country. The mussels have been waiting in line for federal protection since 2004.

“Freshwater mussels are an integral part of the natural and cultural heritage of the Southeast, and it’s very exciting that these eight species are getting the protection they need to survive,” said Tierra Curry, a conservation biologist with the Center. “The Endangered Species Act has a 99 percent success rate at saving species from extinction, so now these cool animals have a fighting chance.”