Written By
It's that time of year again; spawning season for many small-stream freshwater fish species is just around the riverbend! Included in this spawning cycle are the endangered Barrens top
minnow (Fundulus julisia) and Laurel Dace (Phoxinus saylori). Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery's T&E lab has served as a refuge for these fish when environmental conditions proved to be too unstable for the populations to remain in the wild. In the case of these two species, recent droughts required immediate action from biologists to keep the populations intact.
Typically, each population is housed at a different facility to maintain genetic diversity and prevent a total loss if there were to be a disease outbreak, equipment failure, etc. Wolf Creek NFH along with Conservation Fisheries, Inc., Tennessee Aquarium, Tennessee Ecological Services Field Office, Dale Hollow National Fish Hatchery, and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency work together to provide holding facilities, transports, rescues, and management plans. Being housed in facilities over winter not only protects the fish from environmental factors but also ensures they have a constant food source for adequate growth, elevating the success for spawning season. Once the spring rains fill the streams to the desired level, the topminnows and dace are released back into the wild!
Before release, Biological Science Technician Makenzie Foster and staff from Tennessee Ecological Services Field Office tagged 69 Barrens topminnows (Fundulus julisia) for later identification. The fish were tagged with bright pink elastomer tags to indicate they are members of the Pond Springs (Merkle) population, from a small stream in south central Tennessee. Each population of BTM'S receive a different color tag for easy identification during surveys to assess growth and survival. To apply the tag, the fish are put under an anesthetic and a needle is inserted just under the scales, gel is pushed out of the syringe, leaving a bright line.
Sporting their new tattoos, the 69 Pond Springs population BTM'S were released in a south-central Tennessee stream. With several gravid (with eggs) females and males beginning to show their distinct blue spawning colors, we have high hopes for a successful spawning season!
In addition to the topminnow release, hatchery staff and partners were also able to release 90 Laurel Dace in an east Tennessee stream for their own natural spawning cycle!
Both species are federally listed as endangered and require great conservation effort to assist in the recovery of the species. A special thanks to our partners Conservation Fisheries, Inc., Tennessee Ecological Services Field Office, and Tennessee Aquarium for working with us to save these imperiled fish!
