Snail darter revisited: Famous fish that halted a dam's construction is not endangered after all

[Jim__]

This should blow some conservatives' minds.

From phys.org

Phylogenetic relationships based on genomic data and the results of PCAs using morphological data for each of the sister-species pairs examined in this study. Credit: Current Biology (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.11.053



A team of ecologists, evolutionary biologists and resource managers affiliated with several institutions across the U.S. has found that the snail darter, which was famously used by environmentalists in the 1970s to block construction of a damn, is not actually a distinct fish species. In their study, published - ( open source - Jim ) in the journal Current Biology, the group used standard species determination testing to investigate the distinctiveness of the snail darter.

In 1967, construction began on the Tellico Dam—the aim was to create a reservoir on the Little Tennessee River, approximately 20 miles southwest of Knoxville. The dam construction was led by officials with the Tennessee Valley Authority. Shortly after construction began, a zoologist with the University of Tennessee discovered a previously unknown fish living at the bottom of the river.

A quick study of the fish suggested it was unique and at risk of extinction if the dam was built. That fish, the snail darter, soon became a symbol for the use of an endangered species as a way to prevent the development of projects across the country in the ensuing years.

After the Environmental Protection Agency got into the dispute, the courts became involved. Things were settled when President Jimmy Carter signed a bill exempting the Tellico Dam from protection by the Endangered Species Act—the dam was built and all those involved moved on to other business.

more ...