Eastern Band of Cherokee aids effort to save fish

CHEROKEE, N.C. (AP) – The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other agencies in an attempt to save an endangered fish native to western North Carolina and Tennessee.

Efforts to save the Sicklefin Redhorse began in 2007, when the Cherokee and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife authorities focused on reintroducing juvenile fish to the upper Oconaluftee River above the Ela Dam in an effort to restore the fishery.

Mike LaVoie, fisheries and wildlife management program manager for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, says a new program involves moving adult fish surgically implanted with radio-tracking devices to tribal waters. He said the goal is to continue to restore the Sicklefin Redhorse to its traditional habitat on the Qualla Boundary and monitor the restoration efforts.