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Lower Susquehanna logperch rebound after habitat work, federal review finds
A federal review says the Chesapeake logperch has recovered enough that it does not qualify for Endangered Species Act protection. Maryland and Pennsylvania still list the small fish as threatened, and federal officials say they will keep monitoring it.
The Chesapeake logperch, a small fish found only in the lower Susquehanna River, has rebounded enough that it does not meet the criteria for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in a review released this fall.
The finding follows years of conservation work begun in 2017 by federal and state partners in Maryland and Pennsylvania. Their efforts have focused on improving water quality and reconnecting waterways in the fish’s spawning and feeding habitat.
Captive breeding also helped bolster the population. With assistance from Conservation Fisheries Inc., partners bred more than 1,500 logperch from 23 captive fish in 2019—the first known attempt to breed the species in captivity, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service.
The agency said habitat improvements have helped the fish maintain stable populations and could support efforts to restore it to parts of its historic range where it has disappeared. Federal officials will continue monitoring the population for changes, even though the review found that listing the fish under the Endangered Species Act is not warranted.
The Chesapeake logperch was recognized as a distinct species in 2008, separate from the more common logperch. It needs clean, flowing water and gravel beds free of silt. The federal agency identifies declining water quality, invasive-species competition and barriers that block access to feeding and spawning areas as key threats.
The federal finding does not remove state-level protections: Maryland and Pennsylvania both classify the fish as threatened. Pennsylvania has also identified it for additional conservation work.