Re-introduction of the Smoky madtom, Little Tennessee River drainage, Tennessee, USA

Summary

The Smoky madtom (Noturus baileyi), Critically Endangered and endemic to a single 14-km stretch of Tennessee's Citico Creek after being extirpated from Abrams Creek by a 1957 chemical fish-eradication project, has been part of the same Conservation Fisheries, Inc.-led reintroduction program targeting four federally listed fish species since 1986, relying on wild-collected eggs and larvae from Citico Creek since captive breeding proved largely unproductive for a species with only a two-year lifespan and low fecundity of about 30 eggs per female annually. More than 3,400 Smoky madtoms have been released into Abrams Creek over 20 years, establishing a self-sustaining population that has persisted without further stocking since 2002 at densities comparable to the Citico Creek source. Since 2003, the project extended to the Tellico River under nonessential-experimental-population status, releasing over 2,100 fish with wild reproduction confirmed every year since 2004. All fish undergo health screening, VIE tagging, and periodic pathogen testing before transfer or release, and a genetics study tracks gene flow among the Citico, Abrams and Tellico populations to guide future fish-passage decisions. Major difficulties included the species' extreme geographic vulnerability, since its only wild population occupies a short creek reach threatened by acidic runoff from local shale, plus proposed nearby parking and equestrian trail construction. The project rates itself Successful, citing established, reproducing populations at both Abrams Creek and Tellico River as evidence of successful restoration that could support future downlisting.