During its final 2025 meeting, the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission (TFWC) approved the new rule pertaining to changes to the Threatened and Endangered Species list. One species, the teardrop darter, has been added to the Threatened & Endangered Species list. According to the TFWC, it is only found in Tennessee and Kentucky, where it occurs in the Barren and Green River systems. Two species, the Clinch Dace and Sequatchie Darter, are being removed from the list as they are currently not recognized by the American Fisheries Society. The Threatened and Endangered Species rule now moves to the Tennessee Attorney General and Joint Government Operations before becoming final.
The Sequatchie Darter is only found in the Sequatchie River, which begins in Cumberland County,Tennessee and flows into the Tennessee River near the Alabama state line.
According the Tennessee Aquarium, the Clinch Dace is “primarily found in tributaries to the upper Tennessee River drainage in southwest Virginia and northeast Tennessee.”