The snail darter, a small fish that became focus of big conservation fight, goes off the threatened-species list

A snail darter (Tennessee Valley Authority photo)

The snail darter, a small fish native to the Southeast that was the focus of an initial major battle over the Endangered Species Act, is no longer considered imperiled by federal authorities.

In the 1970s, the new law was put to the test when the last known habitat for the endangered fish was determined to be on a portion of the Little Tennessee River that was about to be flooded by a new Tennessee Valley Authority dam.

A lawsuit followed and construction of the Tellico Dam stopped as the case made its way to the Supreme Court, which sided with advocates for the fish, reports Travis Loller of The Associated Press. The conflict "was portrayed as environmental extremists versus economic realists; in reality, the Tellico Dam was quite small and unneeded to generate electricity." It was eventually built after Congress exempted the dam from the law with a rider on an appropriations bill. But prior to construction, biologists collected the fish and transplanted them to other rivers, and later they were discovered in other streams. Three years ago, biologists petitioned for the fish's removal from federal protection since its population has adequately recovered. It left the list Tuesday.

Snail darters are members of the perch family, and grow to be about 3.5 inches long while eating mainly snails. The Department of the Interior said the snail darter is the fifth fish species, and first in the eastern U.S., to be delisted because of population recovery.   

“There are a lot of people who don’t believe in the Endangered Species Act,” said Jim Williams, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist who first listed the fish as endangered. “That say, ‘You know, this is like 'Hotel California'; you can check in, but you can never leave.’ And it’s like, ‘No, you can leave. You just got to get recovered before you leave. And the Endangered Species Act is a vehicle to do that.”