The Maryland darter was first observed by Lewis Radcliffe and William W. Welsh in 1912 in Swan Creek near Havre de Grace, Maryland. Radcliffe and Welsh published a description of their newly discovered species in 1913. The Maryland darter population was never very large. It was confined to a very specific range within the Chesapeake Bay drainage area where the Susquehanna River empties into the northern part of the Chesapeake Bay in an area known as 'the fall line'. This is a place where the higher Piedmont Plateau drops down to the Atlantic Coastal Plain. The Maryland darter preferred the gravel bottomed riffles in this area. Although it was discovered in Swan Creek, it was never found there again after 1912. In 1962 it was re-discovered in Gasheys Run, a branch of the Swan Creek. 70 Maryland darters were collected in nearby Deer Creek in 1965. It was observed several times, although infrequently between 1975 - 1988. It has not been observed since 1988, although many attempts have been made. With such a limited range, it is thought to be extinct by the IUCN and the state of Maryland itself. The United States Fish & Wildlife Service still lists the Maryland darter as endangered given its elusiveness since its discovery. Little is known about the Maryland darter because it was so elusive. There have been many ideas about what has led to the extinction of this Maryland native fish. Its extinction is thought to have been caused by pollution from runoff caused by farming and development. It has also been theorized that their eggs may have been covered and smothered by sediment from runoff. The constant changes in water levels may have stranded fish in small pools of warmer water, which would have killed the Maryland darters. Many searches have been made to rediscover the Maryland darter since 1988 with no success. It has been observed that other darters species in those streams have also struggled at times. Although Jurassic Park is fiction, scientists are working on several de-extinction projects. In fact, in 2003 scientists did bring back the extinct Pyrenean ibex, a type of wild goat, for 7 minutes before it died, showing de-extinction is possible. The Maryland darter might be a candidate. Scientists would potentially use DNA from one of the specimens that have been preserved. The Chesapeake Bay watershed has been an area of conservation focus for a long time. Development, urban sprawl, agricultural runoff, increased sediment, fish kills, and algae blooms have killed much of the Bay's native grasses in the past. These grasses are crucial for young blue crabs and fish to hide. This watershed covers a huge area that stretches from New York to Virginia, so all of the states in this watershed must work together to fix the problems in the Chesapeake Bay. In fact, in 2020 Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, and D.C. sued Pennsylvania in order to force them to clean up their portion of the Chesapeake Bay watershed by 2025. Maryland currently ranks 15th among states for pollution while Pennsylvania ranks 39th. Many species like the American shad are all but extinct in the area because of overfishing and blocking its historical spawning grounds. However, other native species like the blue crab and diamondback terrapin have been recovering under conservation efforts in the Chesapeake Bay. If the Maryland darter was brought to life, could it survive again in the fast moving riffles of Swan & Deer Creeks in Maryland?