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Board authorizes letter of support for state plan to reintroduce spotfin chub in Clinch River
Summary
The board voted to provide authorization and a letter supporting the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources’ proposal to reintroduce the federally listed spotfin chub in sections of the Clinch River, enabling the agency to proceed with grant-funded propagation and release work.
The Scott County Board of Supervisors voted to authorize county support and a letter for a proposed spotfin chub reintroduction led by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.
Mike Pender, an aquatic biologist with the department, described the spotfin chub as a small minnow historically present in the Clinch and Powell rivers and outlined a reintroduction plan funded through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Pender told the board the effort would optimistically take two to four years to begin and would require up to a decade to determine whether populations have become established: “Even to do this work, it’s gonna take, very optimistically, two years to start it, and up to four years to actually get it rolling,” he said, adding that assessing establishment can take about a ten‑year window.
Pender said the program could provide ecological benefits — including supporting freshwater mussel life cycles that use these fish as hosts — and increase resilience toward eventual delisting. He acknowledged concerns that reintroductions of ESA-listed species can complicate infrastructure or construction projects, and his agency said it would coordinate with local and state partners (VDOT, county staff) to mitigate conflicts.
Supervisor King moved and Supervisor Mainus seconded a motion authorizing the board to provide a letter of support and formal local authorization so state staff could expend grant funds; the motion passed by voice vote. The board’s action is a procedural step allowing the department to pursue grants and planning that would follow state and federal permitting and review processes.
Next steps: County administration will provide the requested letter of support and the department will proceed with grant proposals and interagency coordination prior to any release activities.
