The gravel chub requires a highly specific clean habitat making it vulnerable to various types of pollutants and in need of conservation efforts.

[3] Gravel chubs are mainly found in the Northeastern parts of North America, but there have also been reports of populations in Ontario's Thames river, but not since 1958.

[4] They prefer long flat areas in river and stream beds and can also be found at the tail of rapids and head of pools where riffles are most common.

[5] Because of their need of a specialized clean habitats, the gravel chub is especially vulnerable to various forms of pollution, especially from agriculture practices that create erosion and excessive silt.

[10] In past sampling surveys the gravel chub had been found as far north in the Upper Iowa River as Le Roy, Minnesota, but because of excessive amounts of sewage, pesticides and sedimentation of rocks and sand, this is no longer the case.

[6] The gravel chub has a pointier snout that allows it to probe the bottom of their habitat in search of small plant particles, desmids, diatoms, and tiny aquatic insects.

[2][4] The gravel chub is considered a threatened species in many areas mostly due to the fact that it has a highly specific, clean habitat need.

Agriculture run-off is the biggest threat to this type of habitat, increasing the turbidity of the current and the amount of silt in rivers and streams.

[6] In order for conservation efforts to continue, more research needs to be done regarding the life cycle, genetics, and identification of habitat stressors.