Blue Shiner | Cyprinella caerulea

Status: IUCN: Endangered; USFWS: Threatened (1992)

Threats: Deforestation, impoundments, mining, pollution, and sedimentation (What do these terms mean?)

Native Range: Coosa and Cahaba river systems, se. TN, nw. GA and AL

Spawning Habitat Preferences: Summer spawners in medium-sized streams with slow to moderate flow; eggs are laid in crevices in bedrock and wood

CFI Status: Propagated at CFI from 1997-1998 to develop propagation protocols; 2008 for toxicity research*; 1993-2017 and 2022-Present for monitoring. (What do these terms mean?)

In Partnership With: Cherokee National Forest Service; US Geological Survey Biological Resources Division; USFWS (Athens, GA)

*The toxicity studies found them to be an order of magnitude more sensitive to chlorides than fathead minnows. There were known chloride spikes in the Cahaba River from gas extraction about the time they disappeared from there.