Thursday, March 03, 2022

Tiny New Mexico river fish deemed 'endangered' by feds despite State's opposition

 A rare river fish in northern New Mexico received the highest federal protections as an endangered species Monday, following legal actions from environmentalists and backlash from state agencies. 

The peppered chub grows to about three inches and is native to multiple Great Plains states including New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma.

Today, the chub only dwells in about 6 percent of its historic range in South Canadian River, the longest tributary of the Arkansas River that starts in Colorado and flows east to Oklahoma.

In its announcement of the listing, the Fish and Wildlife Service pointed to loss of stream flow, fragmentation, decreased water quality and invasive species as main threats to the fish, along with the impacts of climate change...MORE

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