The Roanoke River is one of the largest and wildest rivers on the East Coast. It provides essential spawning habitat for migratory fish like striped bass, blueback herring, hickory shad, American eels, and the endangered Atlantic sturgeon. Although the river is mostly undeveloped, many old culverts at road-stream crossings and other small barriers disrupt its floodplain. These structures can block fish from reaching their spawning areas or trap them in standing water where low oxygen levels can kill them.
Continue reading at fisheries.noaa.gov.
