More than 50 years have passed since the native fish swam in Texas waters
The US Fish and Wildlife Service is pleased to invite you to attend the
initial release of 500,000 Rio Grande silvery minnows into the Rio Grande
at Big Bend National Park. The fish will be distributed into holding cages
at four sites where they will stay overnight to acclimate. The next day,
the fish will be released from the cages into the Rio Grande.
The release supports our plan to recover the rare minnow so that it no
longer needs the protection of the Endangered Species Act. The Rio Grande
silvery minnow will be reintroduced into its namesake river under a
provision of the Endangered Species Act that allows local communities
greater flexibility in establishing parameters for reintroduction.
Who: US Fish and Wildlife Service
What: Release of native fish into Big Bend reach of the Rio Grande
Where: Big Bend National Park, Texas
Meet at the Rio Grande Village located 20 miles east of the
Park Headquarters
When: Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 1 p.m.
Contacts: USFWS - Aimee Roberson, (432) 837-0747,
Aimee_Roberson@fws.gov
USFWS - Elizabeth Slown, (505) 248-6909 or (505) 363-9592,
Elizabeth_Slown@fws.gov
NPS - David Elkowitz, 432 477-1107,
David_Elkowitz@nps.gov for park information
NEWS RELEASE
Project will Restore Native Minnow to Rio Grande
The reach of the Rio Grande that flows through Big Bend National Park will
play an important role in recovering a native fish that has been absent
from Texas waters for more than fifty years.
According to a rule published today in the Federal Register, the Rio Grande
silvery minnow will be reintroduced into its namesake river under a
provision of the Endangered Species Act that allows local communities
greater flexibility in establishing parameters for reintroduction.
Approximately 500,000 Rio Grande silvery minnows will be placed into the
river on Dec. 17. (Media – please note you are invited to cover the event.
Information follows news release.)
The release supports the agency’s plan to recover the rare minnow so that
it no longer needs the protection of the Endangered Species Act.
Reintroduced minnows in the Texas reach of the river will be considered
nonessential and experimental. The designation is allowed under section
10(j) of the ESA which encourages the reintroduction of a species by
reducing regulations. “Using a nonessential, experimental designation
ensures that the daily activities of water users and landowners are
unaffected by the reintroduction,” said Benjamin N. Tuggle, Southwest
Regional Director for the Service. “Community leaders told us they were
supportive of the reintroduction program but emphasized they needed to
count on reliable flows and water delivery. We can satisfy both fish and
human needs.”
The Rio Grande silvery minnow is a small fish that was once one of the most
abundant and widespread of the native fishes in the Rio Grande and Pecos
River. It existed from northern New Mexico to the Gulf of Mexico in Texas.
Today the endangered silvery minnow occupies only about five percent of its
historic range in the middle Rio Grande in New Mexico. Throughout much of
its historic range, the decline of the Rio Grande silvery minnow has been
attributed to modification of the flow regime, channel drying, reservoirs
and dams, stream channelization, decreasing water quality and perhaps
interactions with non-native fish. During it various life stages, the
silvery minnow uses low velocity habitats with a sandy and silty substrate
associated with a meandering river that includes side channels, oxbows, and
backwaters.
The Service’s preferred approach to recovering the Rio Grande silvery
minnow is to create self-sustaining populations in at least three areas of
its historic range. “The Big Bend reach has been identified as the area
within the species’ historic range most likely to support an additional
population,” said Tuggle. “It is our first priority area for
repopulation.”
The minnows will come from the City of Albuquerque’s RGSM Rearing and
Breeding Facility and the Service’s Dexter National Fish Hatchery and
Technology Center in New Mexico. The Center breeds and rears fish to
maximize genetic diversity and supplement wild populations.
Reintroductions will initially only take place on public lands. Private
lands may be included in the future but only with direct consent from the
land owner or manager.
The monitoring program will contribute to existing data and will use
statistically valid methods to assess changes in age-class structure and
abundance of Rio Grande silvery minnow and other fish. “After the initial
stocking, we will monitor to see how the fish is faring and look for any
spawning behavior or young-of-year fish that might be present,” said
Tuggle.
The Rio Grande from Little Box Canyon downstream of Ft. Quitman, Hudspeth
County, through Big Bend National Park and the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic
River, to Amistad and the Pecos River from its confluence with Independence
Creek to its confluence with the Rio Grande, has been designated as a
nonessential experimental population area. Although only portions contain
suitable habitat, this area represents the maximum geographic extent to
which the fish could move if released in the Big Bend stretch of the Rio
Grande. Rio Grande silvery minnow will only be released in the Rio Grande
and are not expected to move into the Pecos River.
The reintroduction project was first proposed in 2007. Today’s final rule
is available on the internet at www.fws.gov/southwest/es/AustinTexas. To
request a paper copy or a compact disc, please call 512-490-0057, or write
to Adam Zerrenner, Field Supervisor, Austin Ecological Services Field
Office, 10711 Burnet Road, Suite 200, Austin, Texas, 78758.
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to
conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for
the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and
trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific
excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated
professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our
work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.
-FWS-
For more information about fish and wildlife conservation in the Southwest,
visit http://www.fws.gov/southwest/
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