October 23, 2007
Native fish species returned to Arizona canyons
Multi-agency teams converged in southeastern Arizona recently to carry out two reintroductions of threatened and endangered fish species. Four varieties of native fish were introduced to five new locations at the Muleshoe Ranch Cooperative Management Area (CMA), near Willcox, in one of the largest reintroduction efforts ever in the state.
The four native fish species - spikedace, loach minnow, Gila topminnow and desert pupfish - were transported by helicopter from their original sites in Aravaipa Canyon and Dudleyville to streams and springs in the Muleshoe CMA, which is managed jointly by The Nature Conservancy, USDA Forest Service and U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
Eight-hundred spikedace and loach minnow were captured in Aravaipa Creek, then loaded into special transport drums and flown to their new home at Muleshoe. Biologists also moved 2,000 desert pupfish and Gila topminnow from a pond in Dudleyville managed by The Nature Conservancy to their new locations.
Most native fish reintroductions typically focus on one or two species and a single location. The Muleshoe reintroduction was unprecedented in scale for Arizona based on the number of species, stocking locations and partner agencies. Numerous stockings for both Gila topminnow and desert pupfish have occurred over the years, whereas the last reintroduction efforts for loach minnow and spikedace occurred in 1968 and 1970. Neither earlier reintroduction for loach minnow or spikedace was successful.
Additional partners on the project include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Arizona Game and Fish Department, Arizona Land Department and Arizona State University. The reintroduction effort entailed a three-year planning process that included assessment of appropriate species, suitability of relocation sites, coordination with local landowners and development of a follow-up monitoring plan.
"After years of planning and coordination to carry this reintroduction off, there's a tremendous feeling of accomplishment and optimism for the success of our efforts," said Tony Robinson, CAP projects program manager for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. "It's no exaggeration to say that we're really looking at one of the last chances for these fish to exist."
As part of a second transplant effort, five fish species were translocated to Ash Creek, a tributary to the Salt River. Species included longfin dace, speckled dace, roundtail chub, desert sucker and Sonoran sucker. Fish were captured from creeks in the Salt River Drainage and then taken to the Arizona Game and Fish Department's Bubbling Ponds hatchery for assessment prior to being released.
Partners included Arizona Game and Fish Department, USDA Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and private landowners.
In both projects, field biologists transferred the fish into perennially flowing streams using a carefully regulated process that allows the fish to acclimate to the new waters. Relocation sites were carefully chosen for each species based on water flows, temperature, substrate type and the presence of other aquatic species to offer optimal conditions for the fish to survive in their new habitat. The introduction of non-native predatory and competitive fishes has contributed to the overall decline of the species included in the reintroduction.
Data collection will take place over the next five years to monitor the success of the reintroductions. Program modifications and additional stockings will be used to augment native fish populations and improve the likelihood of establishing self-sustaining populations of each of the species.