Species Profile: Tennessee Dace

Tennessee Dace (Chrosomus tennesseensis)

The Tennessee Dace is a small secretive fish that inhabits small woodland streams in Tennessee, Northern Georgia, and Southwest Virginia.  About 60 populations are known to exist, and approximately 30 can be found in the Cherokee National Forest. Only nine populations have been documented in the Little Tennessee River basin.  At first glance, the Tennessee Dace looks much like any small ordinary minnow. However, if you are lucky enough to stumble upon them in the spring during the breeding season, they display brilliant red, yellow, and black coloration.

The Tennessee Dace reproduces by using nests created by larger minnows, and most will only spawn once in their short three-year lifetime. They require streams with excellent water quality, clean gravels, and water that remains cool year-round, and they can be found in small aggregations under cover of woody debris and undercut stream banks.    

Species profile provided by Matt Grove, Cherokee National Forest