According to a news release, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the snail darter from the endangered species list because it has recovered. It's considered a success story in protecting a special small fish found in Alabama and several other states. The 3-inch fish is named after tiny river snails which are its primary food source.The snail darter had been protected since 1975, but now, the fish is no longer in danger of extinction.“The recovery of the snail darter shows the success of the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act,” said Jim Williams, the former Fish and Wildlife Service biologist who wrote the original rule protecting the snail darter. “With better management of water releases at hydropower and navigation dams, and removal of a lot of dams that no longer serve their original purpose, we could recover dozens more aquatic species that are still imperiled by decisions from decades ago.”Populations of the darter are now found in waterways located in Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi.