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 WCU Stories      January 30, 2025

By Cam Adams

Inside Keith Gibbs’ office hangs an imprint of a sicklefin redhorse, a sucker fish that the �����Ƶapp 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.

“We're answering a piece of the puzzle that hasn't been answered yet, so with this knowledge, we'll be able to really be able to understand the biology and the life history of this species even more, which will help further protect it into the future,” Gibbs said.  

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 start “probably in mid-February to early March.”

“This has been an amazing opportunity,” Gibbs said. “Again, a lot of great collaborators with state and local governments and even federal agencies, so having that opportunity to work with them and also provide this opportunity for the graduate student has been invaluable.”