Pigeon River restoration: The first nine years

In 2001, a cooperative effort was begun to restore native fish populations to the Pigeon River, once so polluted that all mollusks and many fish species were extirpated. Volunteers from federal and state agencies, industry, and private organizations created the Pigeon River Recovery Project to begin re-introduction of fish and other aquatic species. Early successes in TN led to the expansion of the project into western NC. Twenty species of fish collected from the French Broad basin and the upper reaches of the Pigeon River have been re-introduced into the Pigeon River at selected sites in TN and NC. Reproduction was first documented in gilt darters in 2003. In 2005, a survey of the lower five miles of the Pigeon River documented gilt darters in nearly every riffle; this species appears to be re-colonizing the lower 8 miles of river. As of 2008, the stripetail darter and the mountain brook lamprey have also established populations. Of nine transplanted species in NC, four shiners (mirror, telescope, Tennessee, silver) and the gilt darter have been collected during monitoring efforts. Silver and telescope shiners have re-established populations in a 10-mile reach of the Pigeon River in NC.