Genetics data essential for sicklefin redhorse

Dr. Greg Moyer at the Warm Springs Fish Technology Center, in Warm Springs, Georgia, led research into the genetic makeup of a fish that ironically remains unnamed by science. Moyer and colleagues Mark Cantrell, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and J.D. Rousey, Valdosta State University, published their research in the North American Journal of Fisheries Management.



The sicklefin redhorse remains unnamed by science. Steve Fraley NCWRC photo

Commonly called the sicklefin redhorse, the fish is aptly named. Its head is horse-like and the fins of breeding males are brick-red, but Moyer and colleagues looked deeper, into the genetic diversity of populations in the Little Tennessee River and the hatchery broodstock being used to restore this fish that is depleted in the wild.

The scientists learned that the fish in the wild and the hatchery were not different in their genetic diversity, and that fish held in the hatchery were not related. Conserving this genetic diversity is important in restoring fish populations, so as to ensure healthy populations. Moreover, the scientists say their research points to the utility of genetic data in fisheries management.