Saving The Laurel Dace: Tennessee Community Unites To Protect A Rare Backyard Fish

In the cool, clear waters flowing down Walden Ridge, a fish no bigger than your pinky holds a story of survival, science, and community spirit.

The laurel dace, a brightly colored minnow found nowhere else in the world, nearly vanished in the summer of 2024. That’s when an exceptional drought hit Southeast Tennessee, drying up the two remaining streams — Youngs Creek and Bumby Creek — that are home to the last of its kind.

“We saw over the course of just, you know, maybe eight weeks, these streams go from flowing to some isolated pools to drying up, to glorified mud puddles,” said Helaina Gomez, watershed conservation coordinator at the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute. Her team decided it was time to intervene.

The fish’s survival is not just a matter of saving a species, but also healing a landscape. Years of intensive land use, like compacted soil and plastic-covered crops, have led to runoff problems, reduced groundwater recharge, and murky, sediment-filled streams, which can be a deadly combination for a fish that relies on sight to feed and spawn.

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Gomez and her team, in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, raced to rescue as many fish as they could. In total, 299 laurel dace were saved and brought into human care, split between the Aquarium’s facilities and Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery to form an “assurance population” in case disaster struck the wild population again.

The rescued fish spent the winter in what Gomez called “ICU-level” care. By March 2025, thanks to steady winter rains and diligent stream monitoring, conditions had improved enough for most of the fish to be released back into the wild – just in time for spring spawning season.

“It was perfect timing,” Gomez said. “We were able to release them back into their native habitats just before they got ready to create the next generation.”

A small group of 60 laurel dace remains in human care - a genetic lifeline and backup colony should the species face future environmental catastrophes. But Gomez and her team know that real success lies in the fish’s return to its native habitat, and that’s where the town of Spring City comes in.

Spring City, nestled at the base of the Cumberland Plateau, has embraced the laurel dace as its own. On May 1, 2025, local leaders officially named it the town’s fish and declared Saturday, May 17, as Laurel Dace Day, falling on the day after national Endangered Species Day.

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The community celebration on May 17 will feature a 5K fundraiser, family-friendly activities, and educational booths. Proceeds will go toward ongoing monitoring and conservation of the laurel dace.

Looking ahead, the hope is that this event won’t be a one-time celebration, but the start of something lasting. “I'm excited for the day to come, and see all of our efforts partnering with the different community members in action,” Gomez shared. “So I'm really looking forward to a potential follow-up on the success of that day. Hopefully, we can make it an annual event.”

This project highlights more than just science: It’s a model for connection. “It’s a wonderful example of efforts paying off and the ability to work together with a community and to involve the people who live in this area with protecting a species,” she added.

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That sense of connection is at the heart of the mission. “When you see something as beautiful as the laurel dace, you understand its story,” Gomez said. “And you’re able to find those little connections about what’s impacting this fish is also impacting my life—the ability to access clean water, the ability to turn on the tap and have water there.”

Ultimately, the goal is simple but powerful: “Literally put the laurel dace in front of people so that they can see, you know, what we get to see…and they can feel connected to it and want to be engaged and involved in protecting the fish that is only found in their backyard.”

This spring, in the fresh waters of two mountain streams, the next generation of laurel dace is already wriggling to life, and Spring City is making sure it won’t be the last.

Weather.com lead editor Jenn Jordan explores how weather and climate weave through our daily lives, shape our routines and leave lasting impacts on our communities.

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