The Robust Redhorse Conservation Committee is a voluntary stakeholder partnership charged with the overall responsibility for directing the recovery of the robust redhorse (Moxostoma robustum). The robust redhorse is a large, long-lived member of the redhorse sucker family. Adults can reach 30 inches in length and weigh up to 17 pounds, although the average length in sample populations is 25 inches and the average weight is 9 pounds. The maximum known age is 27 years. The fish has a thick, robust body with rose-colored fins and a fleshy lower lip. A two-page factsheet provides a quick overview of the fish and its recovery.
The Robust Redhorse Conservation Committee (RRCC) holds annual meetings to review progress and guide recovery efforts for the robust redhorse using the best available science. A Conservation Strategy, adopted in 1998 and updated in 2003, outlines goals, species status, threats, and actions needed for conservation. Based on this, the RRCC helped create a Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA) for the Ocmulgee River in Georgia, securing regulatory stability for non-federal partners. The RRCC also adopted internal policies in 2002 to coordinate activities and understanding of the species. An executive committee and technical working groups manage and carry out research, develop river basin management plans, and address habitat restoration. Public education efforts also support awareness of the species and its environmental importance.
The robust redhorse was first described in 1870 by Edward Drinker Cope from a single specimen, which was later lost, causing the species to vanish from scientific records. Misidentified specimens were collected in the 1980s, but it wasn’t until 1991 that biologists in Georgia rediscovered the species in the Oconee River. This ended a 122-year absence from science. Subsequent surveys across its historic range found no confirmed additional populations at that time.
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