History of the Robust Redhorse in the Savannah River

Tim Barret
GA Dept of Natural Resources; 22814 Highway 144, Richmond Hill, GA 31324; (912)727-2112.

The robust redhorse (Moxostoma robustum), a large riverine catostomid first described in 1869, remained largely unknown to science until the discovery of a population in the Oconee River, Georgia in 1991. Although historical records suggested that the species once inhabited medium to large rivers along the lower Atlantic slope, the existence of a population in the Savannah River was not clearly documented until 1997. Large scale sampling efforts have now yielded a total of 31 adult robust redhorse from the upper coastal plain and Augusta Shoals area of the Savannah River. Efforts to recover the robust redhorse were initiated in 1992 and the Robust Redhorse Conservation Committee was established in 1995 by a Memorandum of Understanding among a diverse group of stakeholders, including state and federal agencies, power companies, and conservation groups. These efforts were extended to the Savannah River Basin in 1995 when fingerlings were introduced into the upper Broad River Basin. Broodfish obtained from the Savannah River were first spawned in 1999. It is anticipated that the Savannah River will continue to be a focus of ongoing conservation efforts for the robust redhorse.