Tennessee Shiner - Current Management

Current Management

Presently, the major human impacts on this species are water pollution. There are three major areas of water pollution that need to be addressed. The first is point source pollution from wastewater treatment plants and paper production plants. These practices release hormones and toxic waste into the river systems where the Tennessee shiner is located. Next, land use practices, such as timber harvesting and agricultural practices, through runoff, introduce chemicals into the system. Lastly, siltation is a major cause of habitat degradation to the Tennessee shiner. This is due to impervious surfaces along streams, as well as poor runoff management. Recently, the paper production factory modernized the methods used to manufacture paper. This resulted in the drastic reduction of the toxic effluent that was released in the Pigeon River.
The Tennessee shiner is not listed on the United States endangered and threatened species list, and has not been evaluated for the IUCN red list. The species has also been classified as low vulnerability to population reduction. Over-harvesting and hybridization have not been determined as factors of decline for this species; however, habitat degradation has received some credit in areas where the Tennessee shiner has exhibited decline in populations. There are also no invasives that threaten the viability of the species.
There are no known agencies actively protecting the species; although, the University of Tennessee, through the Pigeon River Recovery Act, is making an effort to reintroduce the Tennessee shiner to the Pigeon River. There are also no conservation easements offered for the protection of the species or its preferred habitat.