U.S. Fish & Wildlife ServiceA review of the best available science has determined that the Panama City crayfish meets the definition of threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The science indicates that the Panama City crayfish is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range. The final listing decision, 4(d) rule, critical habitat designation, and support documentation are available online at https://www.regulations.gov under Docket Nos. FWS-R4-ES-2017-0061 and FWS-R4-ES-2020-0137. Published in the Federal Register (https://www.federalregister.gov/) on January 5, 2022 . (Document citation: 87 FR 546) The Endangered Species Act ( ESA) defines critical habitat as the specific geographic areas that contain features essential to the conservation of an endangered or threatened species that may require special management and protection. Designating critical habitat under the ESA does not affect land ownership or establish a refuge, wilderness, reserve, preserve or other conservation area, nor does it allow the government or public to access private lands. Additionally, it would not affect private landowners unless they implement an action involving federal funds, permits, or activities. The final designation includes eight (8) units as critical habitat for the Panama City crayfish. They comprise 4,138 acres (1,675 hectares (ha)) of land, entirely within Bay County, Florida. All units are occupied or otherwise contain Panama City crayfish populations as of this listing. Each unit is considered essential to the conservation of the species. Any actions that may affect the species or habitat in these areas would also affect the designated critical habitat. However, the Service is unlikely to recommend additional conservation efforts to address the adverse modification standard beyond those already needed to avoid jeopardizing the species' continued existence. There are no other existing critical habitat designation overlaps with the Panama City crayfish critical habitat.ArcGIS FeatureLayerhttps://hub.arcgis.com/datasets/e9a8d614751347edb4a72705dc4cadec_0engU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Open DataPublicPanama City Crayfish Critical Habitat [United States]Web servicesUnited StatesLast Modified: 2024-05-14