FISHES
Initial Assessments from Hurricane Helene Flood Damage in Portions of Western North Carolina by Dylan Owensby, Luke Etchison, and Chantelle Rondel, Western Region Aquatic Wildlife Diversity Biologists
E xcessive rainfall from Hurricane Helene brought catastrophic flooding to areas of western North Carolina. Biologists with the Western Region of the Aquatic Wildlife Diversity Program sur- veyed some of the damage during October and November of 2024 to get an initial idea of flooding impacts to the region’s fish, mussel, and crayfish species. Although extensive flooding occurred throughout western North Carolina, the most signifi- cant flooding occurred in the Broad, Catawba, French Broad, Nolichucky, and Pigeon river basins. Western Region biologists focused their assessment efforts on small streams to larger, main- stem rivers in the Pigeon, French Broad, and Nolichucky basins. Aside from traveling around these basins to see some of the impacts firsthand, biologists also completed semi-quantitative fish surveys at 19 sites and qualitative mussel surveys at 5 sites. Methods used for the majority of the fish surveys targeted a range of species that might be present, with emphasis placed on catching benthic (bottom dwelling) species. Although results varied widely, biologists found that species richness and abun- dance was similar to previous surveys at a majority of the sites. Of the locations surveyed, streams that appeared to fare well included a majority of the upper French Broad basin, the lower French Broad River, most of the Pigeon basin, and the upper North Toe River (Nolichucky basin). Streams that had notice- ably fewer species present included the South Toe River (Noli- chucky basin), upper and lower Cane River (Nolichucky basin), and Ivy River (French Broad basin). Although definitive data is lacking for mussel populations, biologists did find surviving mussels in areas of the upper French Broad and Pigeon river basins. No live mussels were seen in the limited surveys within the Nolichucky basin. Biologist are plan- ning to conduct surveys at longterm monitoring sites in impacted areas of western North Carolina for the next several years. Top Right: North Toe River upstream from Spruce Pine along Bent Rd on 10/23/2024. Although the river far exceeded the banks at this site, the instream habitat was still intact and survey results indicated typical fish abundances. Center: One of several Gilt Darters caught during a survey on the North Toe River outside of Bakersville. Total numbers of fish and number of fish species caught during a quick fish survey were surprisingly high despite extensive flood damage at this site. Bottom: Greenway bridge at Veterans Park along the upper Swannanoa River on 10/29/2024. Although there was extensive damage to the park, survey results indicated typical fish abundances for this site.
65 2024 Wildlife Diversity Program Annual Report
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