Precipitous decline and conservation of Slackwater Darter (Etheostoma boschungi) in tributaries of the Tennessee River, Tennessee and Alabama

Abstract

Etheostoma boschungi (Slackwater Darter) is a migratory fish species endemic to tributaries of the Tennessee River. Although the distribution of this species was historically disjunct and limited, current data suggest that the species is suffering a decline in both distribution and abundance, resulting in critically low population levels. Data collected over a 10-year period demonstrate an approximate 45 % distributional decline relative a previous survey. In addition, numbers of individuals collected at breeding sites has also declined during this time period. Detectability for sites with repeated sampling effort suggest that even where the species persists, it may be in numbers too low for detection with just one effort. Factors affecting persistence of Slackwater Darters may include passage barriers, such as culverts and loss of connectivity to flooded breeding sites due to channel incision, but data on the effects of these environmental factors are largely lacking. © 2013 The Author(s).