Tennessee Wildlife Federation
  • Latest News
  • Issues
    • Policy Action Center
    • Invasive Carp in Tennessee’s Waters
    • Chronic Wasting Disease
    • Recovering America’s Wildlife Act
    • Share Our Rivers
    • Solve Litter
  • Programs
    • Conservation Policy
    • Hunters for the Hungry
    • Scholastic Clay Target Program
    • Habitat Conservation
    • Hunting and Fishing Academy
  • About Us
    • Overview
    • History
    • Board & Staff
    • Conservation Achievement Awards
    • Contact
    • Media Resources
  • Ways to Give
    • One-time Donation
    • Monthly Giving
    • Gifts in Loving Memory
    • Legacy Giving
    • Corporate Council
    • Non Cash Gifts
    • Crypto
    • More Ways to Help
  • Donate
  • Menu Menu

Swimming for Survival: Meet the Endangered Minnow Found Only in a Few Tennessee Streams

February 18, 2022/in Conservation Policy, Fish, News, Nongame Wildlife /by Kate Hill

Laurel dace fish, an endangered minnow

The laurel dace (Chrosomus saylori) is an endangered and rare freshwater minnow native to Tennessee.

This fish was first collected by Tennessee Valley Authority ichthyologist Charles Saylor in 1976. It went unnoticed for years due to its similar appearance to nonbreeding individuals of the southern redbelly dace (Chrosomus erythrogaster).

Saylor donated his specimens to the University of Tennessee’s Research Collection of Fishes in 1990. In 2001 the laurel dace was recognized as its own species.

Laurel dace have historically been known to be found in a limited number of streams on the Cumberland Plateau. This makes it incredibly rare and unique to Tennessee.

Over the decades, poor habitat management and natural events such as drought have slowly dwindled the streams the fish can thrive in.

In 2011, the minnow was federally listed as endangered.

Currently, there is not adequate funding for the management of nongame species—such as the laurel dace—in Tennessee. This makes it difficult to plan and implement long-term conservation work needed to improve wildlife populations.

With the cost to taxpayers averaging $19 million to develop a single recovery plan for any species listed as threatened or endangered, it makes strong financial sense that these funds be made available to prevent and stop the decline of these critical species. This will allow action to be taken before populations shrink and more drastic steps are needed.

Some good news

But, January 2022 brought some good news. Recovering America’s Wildlife Act gained traction in Congress.

If passed, Tennessee will receive an estimated $25.6 million to work on projects and research to support the more than 1,400 plant and animal species that are identified in the State Wildlife Action Plan as being in greatest need of conservation.

This includes the laurel dace.

>>TAKE ACTION: Help conserve the laurel dace and other rare species in Tennessee by supporting Recovering America’s Wildlife Act.

 

Photo credit: J.R. Shute, Conservation Fisheries

Tags: Fish & Wildlife Action, Habitat Action
Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share by Mail
https://tnwf.org/tennesseewf/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Laurel_dace_conservation-fisheries-1.jpg 600 780 Kate Hill https://tnwf.org/tennesseewf/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/TWF_Logo_horizontal2-e1585681401361.png Kate Hill2022-02-18 11:15:182022-02-18 12:06:22Swimming for Survival: Meet the Endangered Minnow Found Only in a Few Tennessee Streams
Filter by Topic
Achievements
Anglers
Asian Carp
Chronic Wasting Disease
Conservation Policy
Deer
Fish
Habitat Conservation
Hunters
Hunters for the Hungry
Hunting and Fishing Academy
Lands
News
Nongame Wildlife
Public Lands Transfer
Recovering America’s Wildlife Act
Share Our Rivers
Tennessee SCTP
Turkey
Waterfowl
Waters
Wildlife Watchers
Tennessee Wildlife Federation logo


300 Orlando Avenue
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
(615) 353-1133

© 2023 Tennessee Wildlife Federation

Donate for Wildlife
Take Action
Volunteer for Wildlife
Create a Wildlife Habitat
Programs
Media Resources
Latest News
Contact
Privacy
New Bill Aims to Transfer WMA Away From State Marcy Wielfaert Little brown batUSFWS/Ann Froschauer The Little Brown Bat with Big Problems
Scroll to top
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT