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J , V ' S erg / ~ a° ~ .~,~f~ '~ ~a~~~~n~~~,t~'' w N ~'1,~3 The Role of Fish Culture in Endangered Fishes Recovery Buddy L. Jensen U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service P.O. Box 219 Dexter, New Mexico 88230 ABSTRACT Passage of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 focused attention on the nation's threatened and endangered wildlife resources, including fishes. With protection mandated and an avenue of funding provided, the task of recovering the depauperate aquatic resources of the desert west moved forward in greater earnest. Implementation of the law began the sequence of listing, protection and recovery. Many of the recovery plans for imperiled fishes include sections recommending hatchery holding, study, propagation, and rearing. This paper reports on the activities of the endangered fishes program at Dexter National Fish Hatchery, New Mexico. History of the program is outlined along with documentation of successes, failures, and a look at the current program as it approaches a decade of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service commitment to the conservation and recovery of imperiled native fishes. INTRODUCTION X7133 ~e~.r sin I ~ 8'~ The aquatic resources of the American Southwest and their fish fauna have changed dramatically during the 20th century, primarily due to the construction of dams, pumping of groundwater, mismanagement of range and forest lands, and introduction of nonnative fishes. The construction of large dams in deep canyons of southwestern rivers had a major impact on many native fishes. The normal fluctuating flows were blocked, creating large reservoirs, and downstream sections dried up or temperature regines altered by hypol_~.mnetic releases of stored water. Many desert springs have reduced flows or have dried completely as groundwater reservoirs have receded under the constant demand of the irrigation pump. Habitats have also been altered by soil erosion and deposition due to poor land management practices. Additionally, introduced fishes that prey on, compete with or otherwise interact with native fish species have played an important role in their decline. These activities have resulted in a continuous and progressive reduction in the distribution and -31- "~jptws/~'~'1v`•4 ~C~aN~Y' ~ ~ C-~ • AF.S" ~9g6 :ji-Yl.