Historically, the Roanoke Logperch was thought to only exist in Virginia, where it occurred in the Roanoke and Chowan rivers. Since the federal listing of the Roanoke Logperch in 1989, seven genetically distinct populations have been found in Virginia and North Carolina.
Despite natural population expansion, several threats, such as sedimentation, channel modification, and instream barriers, continue to limit the species ability to recolonize all streams within its historical range. Currently in North Carolina, the greatest obstacle for full Roanoke Logperch recovery are dams.
Since 2019, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Conservation Fisheries Inc (CFI), Virginia Division of Wildlife Resources (VADWR), and North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) have worked to propagate and augment existing populations of Roanoke Logperch.
On October 10, 2023, Roanoke Logperch were reintroduced to the Upper Mayo River in Rockingham County, NC. A private landowner, The Piedmont Land Conservancy, agreed to allow NCWRC access to its property and the Mayo River State Park assisted in the restocking effort. The fish were spawned by Conservation Fisheries Inc. (CFI) and grown to stocking size at one of NCWRC’s hatcheries, the Marion Conservation Aquaculture Center in McDowell County.
NCWRC biologists will track and monitor the stocked fish annually by backpack-electrofishing, seining (a netting process to safely capture fish) and/or with visual observations via snorkel and mask. Read the press release for more information.
Video courtesy of Sci NC