Conservation Agreement Signed for Pecos Pupfish
The States of New Mexico and Texas, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,and the
Bureau of Land Management have developed an agreement to conserve the Pecos
pupfish, a fish that has declined drastically in the Pecos River basin over
the past two decades and was proposed last year for listing under the
Endangered Species Act. The agreement specifies a variety of conservation
efforts to minimize threats to the species and protect the species and its
habitat.
The Pecos pupfish was proposed for listing as an endangered species on January
30, 1998, based on the drastic loss of habitat throughout its range in the
Pecos River basin and on the threats of hybridization with the introduced
sheepshead minnow. Following the proposal in January, the Fish and Wildlife
Service began working with the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, the
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and the Bureau of Land Management to
address threats to the species and its habitat. The agencies identified the
most appropriate and biologically sound approach to conserving the species and
specified actions they would take to benefit the pupfish.
Habitats occupied by pure populations of Pecos pupfish occur in a relatively
short reach of the Pecos River in southeast New Mexico and in off-channel
sinkholes, potholes, and wetlands on lands administered by the Fish and
Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and State of New Mexico.
Potential habitats for reestablishment and protection of Pecos pupfish occur
on Bottomless Lakes State Park and on private lands in Texas within the Pecos
River basin.
Use of sheepshead minnow as bait fish throughout the basin is thought to have
been the primary method of introduction of this species to habitat of the
Pecos pupfish. Under the conservation agreement, game and fish agencies in
Texas and New Mexico will prohibit the use of sheepshead minnows as bait
within the basin. The Fish and Willdife Service and the Bureau of Land
Management will manage their lands and waters to increase protection for pure
populations of the fish and assist in future reintroduction efforts.
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