"Were proud to be a part of this partnership, which I am confident will help improve the status of the species," said Nancy Kaufman, Regional Director of the Fish and Wildlife Services Southwestern Region. "And thats the mission of the Fish and Wildlife Service -- to conserve, protect and enhance fish and wildlife for the continuing benefit of the American people."
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.
The conservation agreement was mailed to over 200 individuals and agencies for their comments and input. Based on the comments and continuing coordination among the state and federal partners, the final document is now ready for implementation.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish and wildlife and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System comprised of more than 500 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands, and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts.
