Big News from our conservation partners at Conservation Fisheries, Inc.!

Our friends at Conservation Fisheries, Inc. in Knoxville, TN just announced the first ever propagation of the extremely rare Conasauga logperch (Percina jenkinsi)!  CFI has had repeated success with the captive propagation of rare and imperiled southeastern fish, and we are happy to share their exciting news.

Conasauga logperch are one of the rarest vertebrates in the world, with the entire population estimated to be only a few hundred fish.  They are found from only about 20 miles of the Conasauga River in northern Georgia and extreme southeastern Tennessee.  They inhabit rocky riffles with fast, clear, clean water.  Their habitat is under threat from erosion and poor agricultural land use practices.  TNACI partnered with CFI to collect a small sample of adults for a pilot propagation program.  We also participated in some population assessments and will be conducting some genetic analysis of the population.  This information will help with making conservation decisions that best meet the needs of this extremely rare fish


The larvae you see in the video below are the first fruits of this partnership.




Here is some video of the adults demonstrating their nest excavation behavior in captivity at CFI.




And finally, here is some video CFI captured of Conasauga logperch demonstrating feeding behavior in the wild.



We'll keep you posted on CFI's progress!

-Lee Friedlander, TNACI Conservation Associate