Snail Darter - Management Recommendations

Management Recommendations

The snail darter is a threatened species and needs to be intensely managed to insure the future of the species from possible extinction. The species must be monitored yearly, especially in the Hiwassee River, to determine what properties make the transplant successful. Locations where small populations of snail darter are in place should be monitored for invasive species and possible influences from rivers or tributaries that could alter the ecosystem dramatically. A possible management practice includes using seines nets and electroshocking to collect specimens to monitor population density annually in the transplant sites or in newly discovered pockets, such as South Chickamauga Creek. Specimen collection should be done during spawning in early February to mid-April for more accurate counts when individuals are more readily located. Another recommendation is protecting watersheds and river systems from pollution and siltation. Because snail darters prefer only substrate gravel, areas containing gravel should be protected from siltation from farming or construction activities to protect the breeding ground. Lastly, continue research about snail darters to gain more knowledge of its life history and distribution range of the species. If not for the efforts and actions of Etnier and Stiles during the debate of the completion of the Tellico Dam, the snail would be extinct.