Reviewed by: Cindy Hatcher
Why this unique Alabama fish is called the “Salmon of the South”
Reading time: 5 minutes
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In Alabama’s cool streams and bubbling waterways, a small fish is causing big waves. After decades without a sighting in Alabama, a 2008 spotting of the rare Trispot Darter in a creek near Springville prompted a transformative project to remove migratory barriers from Alabama’s streams.
In our first edition about fish migration, we examined the challenges a number of Alabama fish confront when they attempt to migrate, much like birds, butterflies or Pacific Northwest salmon.
In this, our second story, we look at why helping small fish migrate up and down our rivers matters.
Why is the Trispot Darter the “Salmon of the South”?
Two years ago, Martha Williams—the then-Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service—paid a visit to Springville, a fast-growing town about 20 miles northeast of Birmingham. The reason for her visit was to celebrate the completion of a project that removes barriers from streams to allow fish movement for a rare small fish called the Trispot Darter.
Since then, the project has greatly enhanced the habitat for the colorful two-inch fish as well as the other small fish, crayfish and mussels in the surrounding area’s creeks and streams.
In fact, the project has been so successful that Alabama biologists have adopted the charismatic Trispot Darter as the mascot for free-flowing streams, dubbing it the “Salmon of the South.”
One of the Trispot Darter’s biggest fans is Rebecca Bearden, Director of Ecosystems Investigations Program at the Geological Survey of Alabama. She told us the fish has received much more attention over the years since it was listed as a threatened species by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
“In our world of freshwater fishes in Alabama, this guy is cool because it migrates from larger streams in the Coosa river system to much smaller tributaries—and even sometimes floodplain pools—in what could be people’s cow pastures, because it relies on those seasonal ephemeral pools.”
Rebecca Bearden, Director of Ecosystems Investigations Program at the Geological Survey of Alabama
Riding that “winter wave” from headwater streams up to seasonal pools for spawning is why the Trispot Darter is comparable to salmon.
Both salmon and the Trispot have another thing in common: they need free flowing rivers and streams. For salmon, it’s the massive dams in the Pacific Northwest that impede them. For the tiny Trispot Darter, improper road crossings, blocked culverts, small dams and sedimentation from run-off hurt not only the Trispot but entire local aquatic ecosystems.
Helping “unblock” Alabama’s streams for migratory fish
According to Bearden, the Trispot is extraordinary because, for a small two-inch fish, it migrates great distances. She reminds us that all fish migrate in some way or another, not always far away.
“Fish in general are always migrating up and downstream. They’re all using travel routes to be able to get from point A to point B. The habitat for those travel routes is extremely important. We’re doing a lot of monitoring to make sure that their routes are not blocked.”
Rebecca Bearden, Director of Ecosystems Investigations Program at the Geological Survey of Alabama
One blockage she is always on the lookout for is a “perched culvert”—a disruption of the natural stream process caused by either a poorly-installed pipe or an erosion-damaged streambed.
“For a two-inch fish, if a culvert is perched high, six inches or more, there’s no way the fish is going to be able to make that jump during regular flow time. We want to make sure they go where they need to go.”
Rebecca Bearden, Director of Ecosystems Investigations Program at the Geological Survey of Alabama
In addition to the Trispot, the Slackwater Darter and Coosa Darter are other small migratory fish in Alabama’s waters.
Alabama is America’s hub for freshwater fish and aquatic life—learn why that matters.
At the Springville event with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Director two years ago, Dr. Pat O’Neil—the author of “Fishes of Alabama”—summed up why saving a fish like the Trispot and increasing habitat for all the other critters matters.
“Let me welcome you to Alabama, the hub of America’s native aquatic wildlife! Within a 50-mile radius of where we are standing today (Springville) you can find well over 200 species of freshwater fishes.”
Dr. Pat O’Neil, author of Fishes of Alabama
Alabama has over 325 kinds of freshwater fish, and our state also ranks high in types of mollusks, snails and crayfish.
How does Alabama stack up against neighboring states with these four groups of freshwater species? According to O’Neil, Alabama boasts:
- 23% more than Tennessee
- 36% more than Georgia
- 46% more than Mississippi
Next up: Who’s working on fish migration + how you can get involved in Alabama
Alabama is home to one of the most biodiverse riverine systems in North America. Bringing back fish, ranging from the Alabama Shad to protecting small darters and shiners, is key to healthy rivers and aquatic ecosystems.
In our third and final story about fish migration, we will look at ways groups and coalitions such as the Alabama Rivers and Streams Network and The Nature Conservancy in Alabama are working with local communities, government agencies, environmental education groups and Alabamians on behalf of the fish and our rich natural heritage.
Have you spotted a Trispot Darter in one of Alabama’s streams? Tag us @thebamabuzz to let us know!
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