Date: August 31, 2021
Contact: Jennifer Koches (Interior Region 2),
jennifer_koches@xxxxxxx<mailto:jennifer_koches@xxxxxxx>, 843-300-0424
Brian Hires (HQ),
brian_hires@xxxxxxx<mailto:brian_hires@xxxxxxx>, 703-358-2191
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Proposes Removing Storied Snail Darter from
Endangered Species Act Due to Recovery
There was a time when the snail darter was the biggest little fish in the
United States. In the 1970s, the tiny, endangered Tennessee fish was in the
news regularly, the subject of a Supreme Court ruling, an act of Congress, and
a giant proposed dam that threatened it with extinction.
Inspired by its Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections, over the last 40
years conservation partners went to work protecting and restoring snail
darters, conducting surveys that located additional populations, and
reintroducing the fish to rivers it once called home. Due to these and other
efforts and collaborations, our scientific status review has found the snail
darter no longer faces the threat of extinction, and we are proposing it for
delisting.
“The Endangered Species Act was passed to ensure all wildlife, even species
that some might view as insignificant, deserve to be preserved for future
generations,” said Martha Williams, Service Principal Deputy Director. “It is
very fitting that this fish, which was once a source of controversy, became the
subject of cooperation and partnerships to save it. We would like to thank the
many partners, including the Tennessee Valley Authority, which made this
possible.”
The improvement to the status of the species is due to partnership work among
federal and state agencies and the Reservoir Release Improvement Program
managed by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), which benefits darters and
other species.
Snail darters grow to 2 ½ to 3 ½ inches long and eat insects, but mostly snails
- hence their name.
The species first made news in 1975 when the Service listed it as endangered
due to the threat posed by a proposed impoundment for the TVA’s Tellico Dam,
near Lenoir City, Tenn. At that time, it was the only known location for the
fish. Conservationists sued to stop the dam from being completed due to its
threat to the fish. The snail darter was the first ESA case to reach the
Supreme Court, and in 1978 the court ruled in favor of protections for the fish.
Following the Supreme Court finding, Congress passed an amendment exempting the
Tellico Dam from ESA consultations on behalf of the fish so that it could be
completed. President Jimmy Carter signed the bill into law in 1979.
Meanwhile, snail darters were collected from the Little Tennessee River and
transplanted to the Hiwassee and Holston rivers in Tennessee and then to other
locations within its native range.
TVA launched a Reservoir Release Improvement Program that increased dissolved
oxygen concentrations in more than 300 miles of river downstream of TVA dams
and improved water flows. In addition, TVA implemented several other techniques
for increasing dissolved oxygen in its reservoirs, including turbine venting,
compressors and weir dams. These programs increased water quality, allowing
snail darters to recolonize the Tennessee River, benefitting not just the fish
but countless other wildlife that also rely on clean, abundant water resources.
Concurrently, environmental reviews conducted by TVA also helped minimize
impacts to the species and its habitats.
In 2015, TVA biologists collected snail darters in new locations more than 100
river miles downstream of previously known occurrences. This initiated a
focused sampling effort that extended throughout the entire length of the
Tennessee River. TVA biologists have since documented snail darters in portions
of eight of the nine Tennessee River reservoirs, a reach spanning 442 river
miles.
“Environmental stewardship is an important part of TVA’s mission,” said Allen
Clare, TVA vice president of River & Resources Stewardship. “We are committed
to helping create healthy, oxygen-rich waters in which fish and other aquatic
life can thrive, particularly in those areas below TVA’s dams. As part of our
mission, we’ve contributed millions of dollars over the years to protect and
improve water quality and habitat in the Valley, and these efforts were a key
factor in improving the destiny of the snail darter.”
We are proud of the work we’re doing, and proud to support the U.S. Fish &
Wildlife Service in their effort to protect and recover this species.”
The snail darter was downlisted from endangered to threatened in 1984 due to
successful relocations and the discovery of new populations. It can now be
found in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee.
State water quality and wildlife laws will continue to protect the snail darter
and its habitat if the species is delisted. In addition, its range overlaps
with other federally protected aquatic animals, so its habitat will not be
affected.
If finalized, the snail darter will join 52 species that have been removed from
the ESA due to recovery since 1973, when the law was passed by Congress with
bipartisan support. Another 56 species have been downlisted from endangered to
threatened due to successful conservation efforts during this time. The
Service’s current workplan includes planned actions that encompass an
additional 60 species for potential downlisting or delisting due to successful
recovery efforts.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will accept comments received or postmarked
on or before November 1, 2021. Comments submitted electronically using the
Federal eRulemaking Portal (http://www.regulations.gov) must be received by
11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date. Search for Docket No.
FWS–R4–ES–2020–0152. We must receive requests for public hearings, in writing,
at the address shown in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT by October 15, 2021.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Daniel Elbert, Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, Tennessee Ecological Services Field Office, 446 Neal
Street, Cookeville, TN 38506; telephone (931) 528-6481. Persons who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service
at 800–877–8339.
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to
conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for
the continuing benefit of the American people. For more information on our work
and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov<http://www.fws.gov>.
Connect with our Facebook page at
www.facebook.com/usfwssoutheast<http://www.facebook.com/usfwssoutheast>, follow
our tweets at
www.twitter.com/usfwssoutheast<http://www.twitter.com/usfwssoutheast>, watch
our YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/usfws, and download photos from ;
our Flicker page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/usfwssoutheast.
-FWS-
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