 Recent and past research has demonstrated that this darter is intolerant of these conditions, and it has been eliminated from a number of streams across its range.Current regulatory mechanisms have been inadequate to prevent these impacts.Conservation Fisheries, Inc. (CFI) reported that CFI, in cooperation with Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife, developed captive propagation protocols for reintroduction of "Etheostoma spilotum" into streams within its native range to restore populations that have been extirpated.