WCU’s Gibbs earns grant for sicklefin redhorse research
The fish is primarily found in the Hiwassee and Little Tennessee Rivers, right in WCU’s backyard, but it’s also a threatened species. Donated photo
Inside Keith Gibbs’ office hangs an imprint of a sicklefin redhorse, a sucker fish that the Western Carolina University assistant professor in the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resources takes great interest in.
The fish is primarily found in the Hiwassee and Little Tennessee Rivers, right in WCU’s backyard, but it’s also a threatened species. And thanks to a grant, Gibbs and his collaborators will be able to learn more about this aquatic neighbor.
The Sicklefin Redhorse Conservation Working Group awarded a $39,997.99 grant for Gibbs and his team to track the movement and habitat use of juvenile sicklefin redhorse through radio telemetry.
In the research, Gibbs’ team, which includes a WCU graduate student, will implant radio transmitters into hatchery-raised fish at the Warm Springs National Fish Hatchery in Georgia.
After giving the fish a few days to acclimate and recover in the hatchery, the team will release the fish into the Little Tennessee River and go out weekly to track their movements, “basically until the batteries run out, which will be about four months,” according to Gibbs.
Given that there is limited knowledge regarding sicklefin redhorse habitat use, especially for juveniles, the team is hoping to identify the fish’s habitat so they can manage that habitat better. The team also hopes it can better understand their life history and biological requirements.
Gibbs said their work will likely start in mid-February to early March.
