Rescue effort begins for disappearing hellbenders in Virginia streams

Virginia Tech researchers and Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources biologists are rearing hellbender larvae in captivity to stabilize Eastern hellbender populations and support long-term population recovery in Virginia streams.

The College of Natural Resources and Environment is leading efforts using a head-starting approach by collecting eggs from at-risk nests, raising the larvae in captivity, and releasing them back into their native streams.

Funded by new grants from the National Science Foundation, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the project brings together scientists, private landowners, and the state conservation agency. The goal is to develop a science-based strategy that addresses chronic nest failure, a key threat to this state-endangered aquatic salamander.

“We have reached a critical juncture where hellbender populations have declined to the point that their future is highly vulnerable to disruptive events like Hurricane Helene,” said William Hopkins, director of the Global Change Center and professor in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation. “A single storm or accidental chemical spill can wipe out small populations, so we need to take action to prevent local extinctions. This requires the development of innovative techniques, which wouldn’t be possible without novel partnerships between Virginia Tech and organizations like the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. Importantly, the long-term vision for our work is to restore water quality in streams so that it supports both societal needs and the incredible freshwater biodiversity of this region, which includes hellbenders.”

The project, also awarded to Erin Hotchkiss in the College of Science, aligns with the draft Virginia Hellbender Conservation Plan, which identifies population stabilization as an urgent need. In degraded stream habitats, male hellbenders, which typically guard nests and keep the eggs oxygenated, cease these critical parental care behaviors, contributing to population declines.

By protecting eggs and juveniles during their most vulnerable stage, the head start approach gives populations a better chance to recover while broader ecological restoration efforts, such as planting riparian buffers and implementing best land management practices, take root.

The long-term vision is to pair habitat restoration with captive-rearing techniques to preserve genetic diversity, improve water quality, and strengthen the resilience of Appalachian stream ecosystems.