The Department of the Interior recently announced the recovery the formerly endangered snail darter and its removal from the Federal List of Threatened and Endangered Wildlife at Seven Islands Birding State Park.
According to an Oct. 4 news release, a proposed dam threatened the snail darter with extinction in the 1970s; however, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined numbers had recovered enough and that the snail darter is no longer in danger of extinction after a recent review.
“The recovery of the snail darter is a remarkable conservation milestone that tells a story about how controversy and polarization can evolve into cooperation and a big conservation success,” DOI Secretary Deb Haaland said in the release. “By protecting even the smallest creatures, we show who we are as a country; that we care about our environment and recognize the interconnectedness of our lands, wildlife and people.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the snail darter as endangered in 1975, according to the release. Snail darters were transplanted from the Little Tennessee River to the Hiwassee and Holston rivers in Tennessee and other locations as well.
“As we approach the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act in 2023, this little fish is emblematic of what partnerships can do to protect even the most initially controversial species, showing the ultimate importance of the ESA in preserving species for future generations,” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams said in the release. “We would like to thank the many partners, including the Tennessee Valley Authority, which made this possible.”
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the snail darter is a 9-centimeter fish found in creeks and rivers and is native to eastern Tennessee, northern Georgia and Alabama.
