Spring Barrens Topminnow
November 29, 2022, Warren Stiles, former Listing and Recovery Biologist with Tennessee Ecological Services Field Office was able to pull 6 fish out of one of the monitored springs before it dried up due to an extended period without rainfall sufficient to top off the underground aquifer levels enough to maintain flow combined with no berm to control outflow/reservoir conditions. Warren noted that Ecological Services has recorded the incident as evidence for need to build Type-locality resiliency and site support measures.
The local landowner was the primary creditable party for monitoring and reporting spring conditions.
The six survivors were transported to Dale Hollow NFH where they were been reared in a separated tank for 20 months until Conservation Fisheries Inc (CFI) contacted the hatchery about acquiring the specimen as ‘wild-take’ broodstock broodstock
The reproductively mature adults in a population that breed (or spawn) and produce more individuals (offspring or progeny).
Learn more about broodstock .
Five of the 6 fish showed with bellies full of eggs upon transport so hopefully the experts at CFI will have some successful breeding outcomes.
- Credits: Warren Styles, Wilson Tanksley, Shannon Murphy, Melissa Briggs, Abigail Harris, Conservation Fisheries, and Ecological Services
Barrens Topminnow Stocking
Biologist Abigail Harris from Ecological Services shown tagging BTMs prior to release. Assistance provided by DH Biologist Melissa Briggs.
After the Propagation and Reintroduction Plan for Barrens Topminnow was approved, Ecological Services coordinated with Federal Hatcheries, CFI, and TN Aquarium to update holding inventories and generate a stocking plan. The tagged BTMs were released to the refilled spring and the 6 wild-take were transported to CFI on July 24th
