#05-237 November 7, 2005

State DNR Stocks Robust Redhorse,'Fish Lost To Science,' In S.C. Waters

The Freshwater Fisheries Section of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources harvested, tagged and stocked robust redhorse recently in South Carolina waters. These activities were part of a three-state effort to restore robust redhorse populations to the Atlantic slope rivers in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Fish harvest occurred on Oct. 31, and tagging activities were carried out Nov. 1 and 2. Both harvest and tagging were conducted at the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Dennis Wildlife Center in Bonneau. Fish were stocked on Nov. 2 and 3 in sections of the Broad River north of Columbia and the Wateree River between Camden and the Lake Wateree Dam.

The robust redhorse is a large, long-lived member of the redhorse sucker family. Adults can reach 30 inches in length and weigh up to 17 pounds, although the average length in sample populations is 25 inches and the average weight is 9 pounds. The maximum known age is 27 years. The fish has a thick, robust body with rose-colored fins and a fleshy lower lip.

Master naturalist Edward Drinker Cope first described the robust redhorse in 1870 based on a single 6-pound specimen that had been collected from the Yadkin River in North Carolina. The specimen was apparently destroyed and by the late 1800s all mention of the robust redhorse had dropped from the scientific literature.

The collection of robust redhorse from the Oconee River in Georgia signified the rediscovery of a species that had been lost to science for 122 years. A cooperative effort was initiated in 1995 between state, federal and private groups and organizations under a memorandum of understanding to work to recovery and conserve the species in order to avoid its listing as a federal threatened and endangered species.

For more information about the robust redhorse, call the DNR's Dennis Wildlife Center in Bonneau at (843) 825-3387.