Chattanooga, Tenn. (Sept. 2, 2025) – The Tennessee Aquarium was recognized last week by the Tennessee River Basin Network (TRBN) for its work protecting and raising awareness of one of North America’s most endangered fish species.
TRBN’s annual conference was held Aug. 27-28 in Asheville, North Carolina. There, the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute (TNACI) received the River Champions award for its work to raise the public profile for the critically endangered Laurel Dace.
“The Tennessee Valley Authority works with the Tennessee River Basin Network every year to recognize the great work happening in the Tennessee Valley to protect aquatic biodiversity,” says Shannon O’Quinn, a senior water resource specialist at TVA.
“TNACI received the Outreach and Communication award for Laurel Dace Day, a community-driven conservation celebration. The event gained a significant amount of local and national news and social media attention and raised over $14,000 for conservation of Laurel Dace.”
Fig. 1 Representatives from the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute pose with the River Champions award at the Tennessee River Basin Network’s annual conference in Asheville, North Carolina. Pictured are, from left, TVA Senior Water Resource Specialist Shannon O’Quinn, Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Manager Stephanie Chance, Natural Resource Specialist Drew Hardy, Watershed Coordinator Helaina Gomez, Vice President of Conservation Science and Education Dr. Anna George and TVA Senior Manager of Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability Paul Pearman. (Credit: TVA)
Because of its extremely limited range, population numbers, and several persistent threats to its remaining habitat, scientists consider the Laurel Dace to be one of North America’s 10 most-imperiled fish species.
Laurel Dace Day took place on May 17 in Spring City, Tennessee. This Rhea County community of about 2,000 people sits a stone’s throw from the three streams where Laurel Dace can still be found atop Walden Ridge.
The all-day event featured a range of attractions and activities, including live music, food and craft vendors, educational programming, a fun run, and a 5K race — all aimed at raising public awareness of the Laurel Dace’s beauty and perilous status.
The TRBN honor was accompanied by a $5,000 award, which will be funneled back into the Aquarium’s ongoing conservation efforts targeting the Laurel Dace and its remaining habitat.
“It’s nice to have people recognize us as being leaders in taking a multi-faceted approach to conservation,” says Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Manager Stephanie Chance. “We have the full team working on it; it’s not just our conservation scientists.
“It really does take a village to save a species, and that requires thinking about conservation in a much broader way than we normally do.”
Public awareness of the effort to save the Laurel Dace ramped up in the summer of 2024 when the Aquarium rescued hundreds of Laurel Dace — most of those left on the planet — from streams disappearing during a prolonged drought. Those fish were relocated into human care in coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, and the University of Georgia.
Fig. 2 A critically endangered Laurel Dace waits in a portable aquarium before reintroduction into a stream atop Walden Ridge north of Chattanooga. Hundreds of these critically endangered minnows were rescued in 2024 by a team led by the Tennessee Aquarium out of streams that were rapidly disappearing during a prolonged drought. (Credit: Tennessee Aquarium)
Most of the Laurel Dace were returned to the wild once rainfall restored proper flow to their streams. A few dozen remained in human care to serve as brood stock for an assurance or “ark” population to prevent the species’ extinction due to another event in the wild.
The recognition from TRBN comes just months after the conservation institute was recognized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as its Southeast Region 2024 Recovery Champion. That award also recognized the Aquarium’s ongoing conservation work with the Laurel Dace.
As with most species restoration efforts, bringing the Laurel Dace back will likely continue far into the future. Receiving awards like these is vindicating and reaffirms the important contributions the Aquarium, its partners, and a group of private donors are making to this marathon undertaking, says Dr. Anna George, the Aquarium’s vice president of conservation science and education.
“It’s really nice to receive this recognition and realize that the rest of the world cares about what you do, too,” she says. “There has been a lot of hard work that’s come before these awards, and there will continue to be hard work to come, but it’s nice to get to reflect on where we started, where we are now and where we’re headed in the future.”
To learn more and support the Aquarium’s work with the Laurel Dace, visit tnaqua.org/dacerace
About the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute
The Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute is a leader in freshwater science. For more than 20 years, our researchers have been working to better understand and protect the Southeast’s abundance of aquatic wildlife. The region’s rich diversity is part of our natural heritage – a gift to be discovered, appreciated and protected.
Learn more about the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute online at tnaqua.org/conserve/.
Get updates about our field conservation and research projects by following the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute on Facebook and Instagram.