Biologists are cheering the return of two species, smallmouth bass and russet darters, to a portion of the Swannanoa River.
"I was optimistic that it would potentially happen," Luke Etchison said. "It definitely made me feel really good that there was some sign of resilience, especially in a place like the Swannanoa River that was hit so hard."
Fish populations serve as a barometer for the health of waterways, experts say.
"It's definitely really encouraging," Etchison said.
The russet darter is quite a beauty, according to an extensively researched piece from The Fishes of North Carolina. Ichthyologist D.S. Jordan in 1877, the piece notes, described the species as “one of the most beautiful of all the darters. Its colors, though not gaudy, are
very striking, and quite unlike those of any other species known to me."
Smallmouth bass are bronze to brownish-green, often with vertical bars,according to NC Wildlife.
According to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, they like cool and well-oxygenated waterways with gravel or rocky bottoms and don't do like warm water or silt. "They also inhabit reservoirs with good water clarity and submerged structure.:
Both species have been found upstream of the Lake Craig Dam, an area the fish could not access for decades because of the dam.
Hurricane Helene damaged the dam, creating a pathway for fish to move upstream. State wildlife officials had been planning to reintroduce smallmouth bass to the area, but the storm delayed those efforts. Instead, the fish appear to have returned naturally.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Smallmouth bass, russet darters back in portion of Swannanoa River. Why it matters
