KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A tiny minnow is being reintroduced into northern Missouri waterways under a plan aimed at addressing its decline 15 years after the fish was first listed for federal protection under the Endangered Species Act.

The Topeka shiner, a silvery fish less than than 3 inches long, was listed as endangered in 1998 after its numbers dropped because of habitat loss, sedimentation and pollution in waterways throughout its range in several states, including Missouri.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Missouri Department of Conservation and The Nature Conservancy are reintroducing at least few hundred Topeka shiners into three Missouri creeks: Big Muddy Creek, Little Creek and Spring Creek.

The reintroduction plan begins this summer and runs through October in waterways on lands owned by the state and The Nature Conservancy.