Etnier brought the status of the snail darter to the attention of environmentalists. Etnier estimated there were only 10,000 to 15,000 of the species left in the world. David Etnier discovered a previously unknown fish, the snail darter. Discovery of the Snail DarterĪlso in 1973, Dr. The US Government would take all steps necessary to ensure the survival of all animal species. When an animal is designated endangered, government agencies must do everything they can to protect the animal from extinction. The Snail Darter (Percina tanasi) is a species of concern belonging in the species group 'fishes' and found in the following area(s): Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee. The ESA authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to declare an animal species endangered and to identify the critical habitat of the creatures. The Congressional Purpose of the Act was to protect endangered animal life. More than 50 species have been removed from the ESA since the law was enacted, including bald eagles, peregrine falcons, Tennessee purple coneflowers and American alligators.In 1973, after construction of the dam began, Congress passed the Endangered Species Act. Its population has since been expanded to Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. These steps helped boost the fish’s recovery, allowing the snail darter to recolonize in Tennessee waterways. However, the TVA worked to transplant the snail darter to other rivers and streams.įederal officials say the TVA also worked to improve water flows and increase oxygen in more than 300 miles of river downstream from their dams. In 1978, the court ruled in favor of protections for the fish and halted work on the nearly completed dam.Ĭongress later exempted the dam from the law to allow the project to be completed. Supreme Court, marking the first time the nation’s highest court took up an ESA case. The case eventually made its way to the U.S. “It is very fitting that this fish, which was once a source of controversy, became the subject of cooperation and partnerships to save it.”Ĭonstruction of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Tellico Dam in eastern Tennessee threatened the habitat of the newly discovered fish, located just above the site of the project. “The Endangered Species Act was passed to ensure all wildlife, even species that some might view as insignificant, deserve to be preserved for future generations,” said Martha Williams, the federal agency’s service principle deputy director. It led to many legal battles, but the struggle over the lowly darter became one of the most notable. Scholars have written extensively on Tennessee. Congress responded by limiting the act’s reach and eventually exempting the Tellico Dam specifically in 1979, allowing the dam to be completed. The Snail Darter, The Tellico Dam, and Sustainable Democracy - Lessons for the Next President From a Classic Environmental Law Controversy. The snail darter, a tiny fish that notoriously blocked a federal dam project in Tennessee decades ago, should no longer be on the endangered species list, federal officials announced on Tuesday. Hill, established strict guidelines for the enforcement of the Endangered Species Act. The law made it illegal to “harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture or collect” endangered animals, and forbid the elimination of their habitats. The famous snail darter case, Tennessee Valley Authority v. The fish garnered national attention shortly after the passage of the landmark 1973 Endangered Species Act.

The darter was first listed as a federally endangered species in 1975, but later moved to “threatened” in 1984, meaning the species still faced a danger of extinction in the foreseeable future. Snail darters, a member of the perch family, grow up to 3.5 inches (9 centimeters) long and mostly eat fresh-water snails. “Thanks to the persistence of many people, the extinction of the snail darter was ultimately avoided, and today we can celebrate its recovery,” said Zygmunt Plater, the attorney who wrote the citizens’ petition to save the snail darter in 1975. Fish and Wildlife Service has begun the process to delist the species, a move backed by the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental group that has favored lifting protections for the fish since 2019. Thanks to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, the snail darter was instantly transformed into both an icon for species preservation and a despised symbol of. (AP) - The snail darter, a tiny fish that notoriously blocked a federal dam project in Tennessee decades ago, should no longer be on the endangered species list, federal officials announced on Tuesday.Īrguing that the fish is no longer in danger of extinction, the U.S. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated.