Roanoke Logperch
This federally endangered fish of the Roanoke and Chowan systems uses its pointed snout to turn small stones and seize insect larvae exposed beneath them.
Artwork inspired by O. Winston Link
For a darter, the Roanoke logperch is unusually large. Alternating vertical bars break up its outline over clean gravel and cobble, while its stone-flipping behavior makes moving sediment an active feeding strategy.
Dams, culverts, channel alteration, and fine sediment fragment the flowing habitat it needs. Restoring connected, clean rivers matters more than pinpointing rare individuals from shore.
- Length
- Up to about 6 inches
- Behavior
- Flips gravel with snout
- Status
- Federally endangered
Quick guide
- Watch for
- Clean riffle and run habitat
- Protect
- Connected flow and unsilted gravel
Recognize it through habitat and behavior
- Read the bottom
- Mixed gravel and cobble hold prey and shelter.
- Notice barriers
- A small culvert can divide a fish population.
- Keep distance
- Wading can disturb eggs and feeding substrate.
- Report responsibly
- Use agency channels, not public exact coordinates.
Good to know
Do not seine, handle, or target this protected fish. Observe stream habitat from lawful access and report suspected records to Virginia wildlife biologists.