Right now, a beautiful minnow found in Chattanooga’s backyard — and literally nowhere else on Earth — is a fin’s-width away from disappearing. From invasive predators and a plague of parasites to streams withered away by extreme drought, the critically endangered Laurel Dace needs our help.
Meet the Laurel Dace
First listed as endangered in 2011 and now found in just two streams on Walden Ridge, scientists consider the Laurel Dace to be one of North America’s 10 most-endangered fish species. With a gold body, red lips, highlighter-yellow fins and crimson belly, the Laurel Dace is a stunning representation of the unparalleled diversity of aquatic life in the Southeast. Thanks to timely intervention by humans, it already survived one extinction-level event in 2024.
Our Work So Far
In the midst of a dangerously prolonged drought, a team from the Aquarium traveled north of Chattanooga in July 2024 to rescue what Laurel Dace they could from rapidly disappearing streams near Spring City, Tennessee. That emergency relocation and several others over the next two months saw about 300 fish — the majority of all Laurel Dace left on earth — safely moved into human care, with most held at the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute.
In early March 2025, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery and the Aquarium reintroduced almost all fish rescued from Bumbee Creek in 2024. About 30 adults will remain in human care at the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute to serve as an assurance or “ark” population. These individuals and their offspring will continue to be cared for so that the Laurel Dace will survive, even if events lead to the species’ extinction in the wild.
How You Can Help
The Tennessee Aquarium is turning to its members, supporters, and the community for help safeguarding this embattled minnow with the launch of the Race for the Laurel Dace. Contributing to this campaign, in whatever amount, will empower individuals to meaningfully support the Aquarium’s effort to prevent the Laurel Dace’s extinction.
Donations to the Race for the Laurel Dace will fund this research and pay for additional equipment and Aquarium staff time needed to care for the fish.
Gifts of $10 or more receive a Laurel Dace sticker. Gifts of $25 or more receive a Laurel Dace sticker and magnet.
Laurel Dace sticker and magnet design
