The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has determined that the Roanoke logperch, a large freshwater darter, is no longer at risk of extinction and is proposing to remove the fish from the endangered species list.
When the Roanoke logperch was listed as endangered in 1989, it was found in only 14 streams. In the years since, surveys and habitat restoration have more than doubled the species range, with 31 occupied streams as of 2019.
It can be found in larger streams in the upper Roanoke, Smith, Pigg, Otter, and Nottoway River systems and Goose Creek in Virginia and in the Dan, Mayo, and Smith River systems and Big Beaver Island Creek in North Carolina.
The Service is developing a plan to monitor the Roanoke logperch for no less than five years after delisting, to detect any change in status that would indicate it needs additional conservation or should be relisted.
