Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for April–June 2026
Cape Fear Shiner (Miniellus mekistocholas) Broodstock Collections in the Deep River Subbasin
by Michael Walter, Central Region Aquatic Wildlife Diversity Coordinator
NCWRC STAFF
D uring April and May of 2026, Central Region Aquatic Wildlife Diversity staff conducted surveys for the federally endangered Cape Fear Shiner ( Miniellus mekistocholas ) in the Deep and Rocky Rivers of the Cape Fear River Basin. In total, 49 person hours of survey effort resulted in the collection of 74 individuals. A total of 15 juvenile Cape Fear Shiners were observed during the surveys indicating recruitment in the population. The 74 fish were held overnight at Yates Mill Aquatic Conservation Aquaculture Center (Raleigh, NC) and transferred to Edenton National Fish Hatchery (Edenton, NC) for propagation. Offspring from these broodstock collection and propagation efforts will be stocked into the mainstem of the Cape Fear River to augment existing populations.
Update on the Status of Sharphead Darter Following Hurricane Helene
by Dylan Owensby, Western AWD Biologist, and Luke Etchison, Western AWD Coordinator
T he State-Threatened Sharphead Darter, Nothonotus acuti- ceps , is a small, vibrant fish that can be found in the lower Nolichucky River Basin in North Carolina. It prefers swift mov- ing, shallow water habitats with cobble and boulder substrate types. In the 1950’s, this species was thought to be extinct, but biologists found a population in the Nolichucky River near the TN and NC state line. Although they are considered imperiled, surveys over the last several decades have shown that the Shar- phead Darter is relatively common through its narrow range in North Carolina. Biologists with the Western Region of the Aquatic Wildlife Diversity (AWD) Program have included the Sharphead Darter as a priority for targeted species monitoring plans in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Initial fish community surveys following Hurricane Helene in 2025 resulted in one individual at one site in the North Toe River. However, during targeted surveys in June of 2026, biologists were able to document over 100 Shar- phead Darter individuals at just 3 sites in the North Toe River in Yancey/Mitchell Counties. One juvenile Sharphead Darter was also documented during a fish community survey in the lower Cane River in Yancey County during the same month. These encouraging findings indicate that the Sharphead Darter population in North Carolina is persisting even after the wide- spread destruction caused by Hurricane Helene.
DYLAN OWENSBY/NCWRC
Adult Sharphead Darter captured in June 2026 in the North Toe River, Nolichucky River Basin.
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