Laurel Dace (Chrosomus saylori)
With its golden-striped flanks, red belly, highlighter yellow fins, and crimson lips, the Laurel Dace is like a living statement piece for the under-celebrated beauty of freshwater fish. This critically-imperiled minnow is found only on Walden Ridge near Spring City, Tennessee, just an hour away from Chattanooga.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service first identified the Laurel Dace as a species potentially in need of protection under the Endangered Species Act in the early 2000s. It posted notice that it was elevating the Laurel Dace to candidate status for listing in 2007. The Laurel Dace’s endangered listing was finalized in 2011, and the Service has been monitoring the remaining populations along with the Aquarium and other partners ever since.
As recently as 2012, Laurel Dace were still found in five streams flowing along Walden Ridge, but over a decade of rampant habitat degradation, the species’ range has reduced to just a pair of waterways.
Race for the Laurel Dace
At the height of a prolonged drought in the summer of 2024, the Tennessee Aquarium and its partners leaped into action to prevent the extinction of the Laurel Dace. As Laurel Dace streams dried into mere puddles, fish were rescued and brought into human care at the Aquarium’s Conservation Institute.
Later in 2024, the Aquarium turned to the public for help safeguarding this embattled minnow, asking for donations to the Race for the Laurel Dace campaign, which funded research, additional equipment, and Aquarium staff time needed to care for the fish. In 2025, water levels improved and Laurel Dace were returned to their native streams. A small portion remain in human care as an Ark population (just like Noah’s Ark) to ensure the continued survival of the species.
To raise awareness surrounding the plight of the Laurel Dace, and in partnership with the Town of Spring City and Visit Spring City, the Aquarium hosted Laurel Dace Day in May 2025 and 2026. The event coincides with Endangered Species Day and includes a 5k race, 10k race, half-mile fun run, live music, a local farmer’s market, craft vendors, and activities featuring Aquarium educators.
