Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for July–September 2025
DYLAN OWENSBY
Technicians Quentin LaChance and Maddie Roark seining for fish on the South Toe River in August 2025.
Fish Populations in the Nolichucky River Basin Showing Signs of Resilience in First Year Since Hurricane Helene
by Dylan Owensby, Western Region AWD Biologist
L ate September 2025 marked one year since Hurricane Helene brought devastating floods to a large portion of Western North Carolina. Biologists with the Western Region of the Aquatic Wildlife Diversity Program have been focusing efforts on monitoring fish, mussel, and crayfish populations in areas that were most impacted from the Hurricane and associ- ated clean-up efforts. The Nolichucky River Basin in Avery, Mitchell, and Yancey Counties received some of the most extreme rainfall and flooding was particularly damaging in the Cane, North Toe and South Toe Rivers. Initial fish surveys conducted at six sites in the Nolichucky Basin in October and November of 2024 revealed mixed results, with the Cane River, South Toe River, and lower North Toe River showing general declines in fish species and total numbers of fish. In August 2025, biologists were able to return to these sites to complete another round of fish surveys. The Cane River had substantial improvements in fish spe- cies and total numbers of fish observed. The upper and lower Cane River sites each had 111% increases in the number of fish species present (9 species at each site in the 2024 surveys
compared to 19 species at each site in the 2025 surveys). There were abundant numbers of juvenile and young-of-the- year species present in the 2025 surveys. Improvements in fish species and total number of fish were also documented in the North Toe River. Surveys in the South Toe River in 2025 did not show simi- lar increases in fish species, however, biologists did detect Blotchside Logperch, Percina burtoni, a State Endangered spe- cies. Prior to Hurricane Helene, the Blotchside Logperch pop- ulation in North Carolina only existed in low densities throughout approximately 12 miles of the South Toe River. Naturally, updating and assessing the population status of the species after the Hurricane is a major priority for the region. To date, through five surveys this year, biologists have seen a total of 18 Blotchside Logperch. While the Nolichucky Basin fish survey results are encour- aging, more general and targeted fish surveys are needed to have a better understanding of the population status for Species of Greatest Conservation Need. Biologists plan to focus consider- able effort on this watershed over the next several years.
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