Endangered Vermilion Darter Spreading Its Fins Up Turkey Creek After Dam Removal
By Freshwater Land Trust
Four years after the removal of a 100-year-old dam from Turkey Creek in Jefferson County, a critically endangered fish species is spreading its fins farther up the recently freed stream.
Last month, the nonprofit Freshwater Land Trust and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed a population of the rare vermilion darter living upstream from the site of the former dam. Not only had the dam prevented the tiny, brightly colored fish from moving upstream, it also adversely affected water quality in Turkey Creek – trapping silt behind the structure and altering the stream’s natural flow.
The newly found darter population indicates that the 2013 dam removal has improved the fish’s habitat. The vermilion darter is found in only one place on the planet: along a nine-mile stretch of Turkey Creek.Alabama Power was among the partners that supported the dam’s removal.
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