Endangered Species Day

What image pops into your head when you think of an endangered species?  A panda?  A tiger?  Maybe a whale?  These are all critically endangered animals whose images tend to create a sense of wonder and a need to conserve the remote habitats in which they live.  However, some of the most critically endangered animals live in the southeastern U.S. and our day to day actions can lead to their conservation or extinction.  Endangered Species Day is on May 18^th, so here is some information on the importance of conserving endangered species and what regulations are in place to protect them.

The Southeastern U.S. is one of the most biodiverse areas in the world when it comes to aquatic animals.  TNACI’s Dr. Anna George said in a recent interview, “It’s like an underwater rainforest.”  Many of the animals that live in this part of the country don’t live anywhere else, and many are threatened or endangered.  There are numerous ways that we are trying to protect these animals and it takes collaboration between legislators, regulatory agencies and the general public to ensure that these animals are around for our grandchildren. 

One major piece of legislation that protects endangered species in the U.S. is the Endangered Species Act (ESA).  Passed in 1973, it is the first significant law that called for the protection of endangered species. The U.S. was the first country to implement such a piece of legislation and other countries have modeled environmental law after the ESA. There are three strategies within the law that aim to prevent extinction:

1. Commercially banning the trade and importation of endangered species
2. Forbidding federal agencies from harming species
3. Forbidding the killing or “taking” of an endangered species. 

In the 1970s, the ESA played a major role in the fight to protect one of the southeastern U.S.’s native fish: the snail darter (Percina tanasi).  The Tennessee Valley Authority proposed the construction of Tellico Dam, which would flood farm land and historic sites, and damage crucial habitat for this native fish that only occurs in the Tennessee River and its tributaries.  After the darter was discovered in the construction area by an ichthyology professor at the University of Tennessee, a law student from the same school started the ball rolling on a lawsuit against TVA for violating the ESA. The case made it all the way to the Supreme Court, where the court ruled in the snail darter’s favor.  Construction on Tellico Dam had to stop.  Later, a mandate was passed in a completely unrelated bill that gave TVA the go ahead to finish Tellico Dam despite the Supreme Court’s ruling.  Though the dam was ultimately built despite the court’s ruling, it has been an example of environmental law being upheld in court.

Sometimes it is difficult to trace who exactly is harming endangered species.  In the case of aquatic animals, pollution is the cause for population decline, and virtually every stream and river is suffering.  Non-point source pollution is any pollution not contained in a pipe that enters a waterway.  In other words, a majority of the pollution entering our streams and rivers is non point source pollution.  While images of a polluted river might include a river covered in litter or water that has an oily sheen, sometimes we cannot tell just by looking if the water quality is suffering.  Some animals can be an indicator that something is wrong before humans are able to detect it.  One area where this is true is the Conasauga River, one of the most diverse rivers in the world!  Agricultural runoff has caused some areas of the river to be unsuitable for aquatic organisms.  One of the special fish that live here is the Conasauga logperch (Percina jenkinsi).  As you can tell from it's name, it is related to the snail darter as they share the same genus.  They are adorable little fish that flip rocks in the water looking for food. The are special for many reasons.  They have a very small native range, but a high genetic diversity, which is unusual.  They are also an indicator species:  if the water isn't clean enough for the logperch, it isn't clean enough for animals and most likely not clean enough for humans to use for recreation.  They are one of the desperate dozen: a fish that is critically endangered and drastic measures need to be taken to ensure this fish survives.  TNACI and CFI have been raising juvenile Conasauga logperch in captivity and releasing them into the wild, taking care that these captive logperch have the same high diversity as the wild population.  We are celebrating Endangered Species Day by releasing some of these fish with CFI.  Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are also partners on this project. This is just one of TNACI's many conservation projects on endangered species!

Conasauga Logperch (Percina jenkinsi)

However, it is not the job of just scientists to preserve our special aquatic organisms and we need your help!  So what can you do? Here are some ideas:

1. Avoid using fertilizers and pesticides on your lawn and garden if possible. These chemicals cause a wide range of problems for water quality.  Some are directly toxic to wildlife, while others cause the oxygen in the water to drastically decrease.
2. Keep your car well maintained.  Ensuring your car isn’t leaking oils or other fluids will keep these harmful chemicals out of the water.
3. Wash your car on your lawn.  Plants and soil can act as a natural filter.  By washing your car on the lawn instead of on the driveway, some of the soap and grime will be retained by the soil and grass.
4. Participate in local clean-up efforts and environmental action groups.
5. Learn more at www.tnaci.org/takeaction.aspx 

Field Notes: Week 2 on the Conasauga River

After a week of some cooler weather, TNACI and CFI returned to the Conasauga River for two more days of field work.  We spent the first day catching more Conasauga Logperch and the second day  releasing juveniles at various locations in the Conasauga River. 

On April 12 we worked a 3 mile stretch upstream of the site sampled on April 5.  While the procedures for this week were the same as last week, the conditions were very different.  The water temperature was 50°F when we arrived in the morning; cold enough that some members of the team wore dry suits.  The rest of us wore 7 mm wet suits and everyone wore gloves and hoods to stay as warm as possible.

Dr. Anna George in a dry suit.

Despite the chilly conditions, it was another successful day on the river.  We were able to get nine more fin clips from Percina jenkinsi.  We also caught a few Mobile Logperch (P. kathae) who were also photographed and fin clipped.

Photographing and fin clipping Logperch

In the field it can sometimes be challenging to distinguish between Conasauga Logperch and Mobile Logperch initially.  However, upon closer observation there are some differences in the two species that make them distinguishable from one another.  One of the most distinguishing features is the red or orange color in the first dorsal fin of the Mobile Logperch.  The markings on the two species are different as well.  While both have bars, or “dorsal saddles,” down their body, the markings on the Mobile Logperch are a bit duller.  Conasauga Logperch have more defined stripes, a "teardrop" marking under the eye, and no color on the dorsal fin.  

Conasauga Logperch (Percina jenkinsi)

Mobile Logperch (Percina kathae)

While we were on the hunt for the very special Conasauga Logperch we were fortunate enough to see a few more aquatic animals that call the Conasauga home.

Coosa Darter

Crayfish

Hogsucker with a Lamprey attached

Speckled Darter

On April 13 we returned to release juvenile Conasauga logperch that had been hatched at CFI and reared either at their facilities or at TNACI.  We split up into two groups to cover almost 7 miles of river and release around 200 fish!

Releasing captive-bred fish into the wild is much more complicated than just dumping a bag full of fish into a river.  It takes scientific study and planning. During the previous two trips on the Conasauga, we took GPS coordinates of riffles so that we could designate release sites.  We also had four groups of juveniles (distinguished by the color and placement of their fluorescent elastomer tags).  Individuals from each group were designated to a release site.

Tagged juvenile Conasauga Logperch.

The water in which the fish were transported was a bit warmer than the river water, so the first step prior to release was to get the fish acclimated to the water temperature of their new home.  To begin the acclimation process, we placed the closed bags directly in the river.    

Pat from CFI acclimating fish.

After a little time getting used to the temperature, some water from the Conasauga River was placed directly into the bag to continue the acclimation process.  With our plans in hand and the fish acclimated, we loaded the bags into our boats and set off down the river to release these young fish into their new environment.

  

One of the release sites.

Evan getting ready to release Conasauga Logperch.

After being released, some individuals did not swim away immediately, giving us one more chance to photograph them before we left. 

We will be back on the Conasaua River soon to release the rest of this year's juveniles.  We will then continue monitoring the population of wild Conasauga Logperch, and we hope to recapture some of these individuals in the future. 

Field Notes: Week 1 on the Conasauga River

One of TNACI’s conservation projects is propagation and augmentation of Conasauga Logperch (Percina jenkinsi).   We, along with Conservation Fisheries, Incorporated (CFI), have been working with this endangered fish for the last couple of years.  One aspect of this project is studying the genetics of the Conasauga Logperch.  We want to make sure that we are maintaining the naturally high genetic diversity of the population when we reintroduce captive bred logperch into the Conasauga River.  In order for CFI to get broodstock to hatch juveniles, and for us to get fin clips for genetic sequencing, each year we work on the river to catch the fish.  They are usually found in riffles and fast moving water, so in the past we have snorkeled at bridges along the river, working in nearby habitat that looks favorable for Conasauga Logperch.  This year, we decided to try something different.  To cover more habitat in less time, we took boats in various shapes and forms down the river, stopping in the riffles to look for fish.  On April 5th, Pat and Crystal from CFI joined us in their canoe, Ashford and Evan took kayaks, while Anna and Dave took paddle boards.

It was a great day to be on the water.  We were in for a treat as the buffalo were running upstream to spawn.  Many of them had scars or lampreys attached.  We saw tens of thousands of these fish!

School of buffalo

Catching logperch can be quite challenging as they're pretty smart.  The best way to catch them is to snorkel until a fish is spotted, then herd it into a small dip net. These fish tend to be found in fast moving water over coarse substrate like cobble and gravel.  This can make the task of catching the logperch challenging. Many times the fish would begin to swim upstream, and they are much faster at it than we are.  

Herding a Conasauga Logperch

However, we were able to catch seven of these imperiled fish.

Crystal from CFI after catching a Conasauga Logperch

Percina jenkinsi

We weren’t keeping any of the fish this trip. Once we caught a Conasauga Logperch we took its photograph and a small piece of the anal fin for genetic testing. It was then released back into the river.

We will be back out there on April 12^th and 13^th, looking for more of these very special fish and to release juveniles. 

Home Makeover for Coldwater Darters

This month, we're working in Colvard Spring, GA, with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Nongame Division and the Conasauga River Alliance on our habitat restoration project for the coldwater darter. Giving them a new home involves carpet! Wondering about how recycling your carpet helps darters? Read the great article we've linked to from the Chattanooga Times Free Press!

Darter housecleaning gets help from carpet recycler.