- Today we talk about our first non-herp in this series… the black-side dace. This small speedy fish isn’t cool by any means but still important to talk about.
I was going to call this section fun facts, but well the black-side dace doesn’t really have any “fun” facts so here are some facts:
- They are a member of the minnow family
- They are good swimmers
- They are generally between 50 and 65 mm in length
- Perhaps the most interesting thing about this tiny swimmer is that during breeding season the black stripe on its side gets darker
History and Environment:
First discovered in 1978 these tiny fish were originally thought to be a different species of fish entirely and were officially reclassified as the black-side dace in 2009. Beyond that there isn’t really much to talk about with their history. They were originally found in 125 different streams across 35 stream miles in a 250 square mile radius. But since have been found in more streams but in smaller numbers. I think we can say that truly this species was discovered in 2009.
Well, their environment is not super interesting either but it is important. They need a well developed riparian area.
A riparian area or riparian zone is the area of interface between land and the river or stream. A well developed riparian area usually consists of both semi-aquatic and terrestrial grasses. It plays an important role in soil retention or restoration. This area also acts a bio-filter for the stream or river.
Sorry for the short detour but I don’t think that is a common term so I thought I would explain it. The black-side dace also need undercut stream banks for hiding. Deep pools, with cool, clear water are a favorite place for the black-side dace. The water needs to swift enough to sweep away silt. The largest populations are found in areas with banks lined with lush vegetation and a canopy cover exceeds 70% of the area.
Current Status:
These fish are not doing great, they have spread across 156 different streams within the original 250 mile radius but sadly the population has dwindled to the point where each “population” found has 10 or less individuals. These guys aren’t big fish so for each stream they are found in to have 10 or less is definitely something to be worried about.
Their environment is disappearing pretty quickly, even with more strict regulations being enforced on the industries that are affecting the habitat the most. Their habitat is disappearing mostly due to water siltation, but we will talk about that in a minute.
And Then Humans:
As usual humans have ruined things through different types of development, the biggest danger to the black-side dace being road development. Chemicals from the asphalt and concrete used in road construction seep into the water and harms these fish. Mining of all kinds also endangers these fish as it pours more pollution into the waters. We have also introduced more predaceous fish into the streams thus making the black-side dace more susceptible to being eaten.
Many things are threatening the habitat of the black-side dace. The largest cause of the decline of the habitat is river, or stream, siltation. Siltation is the pilling up of small particles on the stream bed. This can be caused by many things including more silt begin washed into the stream or rivers to the slowing of water from various reasons. As mentioned above several industries are contributing to water pollution and siltation. These include: coal mining, timber harvesting, acid mine drainage, strip mining run-off, agriculture, and road construction run-off. Another threat caused by humans is the introduction of the red belly dace into black-side dace’s habitat. They were introduced into the rivers and streams where the black-side dace lives, competing for the same resources and, in most cases, beating the black-side dace out.
Oops! I Can Fix That!
Well uh… we aren’t exactly doing anything for these little guys. Beyond the laws passed to make farmers and miners keep the water clean we aren’t doing anything. Since talks began in 2015 there have been no programs launched to save the black-side dace.
That really makes this part easy… what can we do better? EVERYTHING! We are essentially doing nothing. Let’s do something. Really the question is what can we do. The answer to that is… at a minimum establish a protected area for these little fish. They may not be interesting or significantly important, but does that give us the right to allow them to perish due to OUR lack of interest? NO, it does not.
Sum It Up Buttercup
The odds are definitely against this fish that’s for sure. But if we start to make an effort to help the black-side dace now we can save them. This is the perfect example of what happens when humans deem and animal unimportant.