Advances in the study and recovery of a reproductive stock of the Yaqui Catfish, Ictalurus pricei, in Arroyo Cajón Bonito, Sonora

Authors: Alejandro Varela-Romero, Chuck Minckley, Anna Clark, Francisco Villegas-Cota, Alexsandre Gutiérrez-Barragán

Year: 2019

Abstract

Recent collections of Yaqui Catfish, Ictalurus pricei, in northwest Mexico record their existence only for the Arroyo Cajón Bonito in Sonora, and the Tutuaca River in Chihuahua. Following the recent conservation interest of the species by NGOs and government agencies on both sides of the border, due to the imminent risk of extinction in which it is found, it began with the capture of Yaqui Catfish from the Cajón Bonito Stream in order to initiate a reproductive stock, between other initiatives of knowledge of the species. Twenty individuals of Yaqui Catfish were captured during 2018 and 2019, of which 16 were initially kept alive in a pond of the Area Voluntarily Dedicated to the Conservation of Cuenca Los Ojos in Rancho San Bernardino, Sonora. In the first attempt to transport these live specimens to facilities of the Centro Acuícola del Estado de Sonora (CAES) near Obregón City (Instituto de Acuacultura del Estado de Sonora, IAES), five specimens were transferred, and are currently under the technical care of the staff of the CAES. These specimens receive commercial food for catfish normally and show no signs of stress so far. The genetic identity of the 18 specimens of the reproductive stock has been analyzed using mitochondrial and nuclear genes. Two hybrids have been detected between Yaqui and Channel Catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, and are excluded from captive stock. In addition, the Oklahoma State University (OSU) has begun the study of environmental DNA (eDNA) in selected localities throughout the Yaqui River basin in order to detect potential sites of occurrence of the species not yet reported. The project has a collection license granted by the Dirección de Vida Silvestre (DVS) of the Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (SEMARNAT) and has exercised shared funding from the University of Sonora, Desert Fishes Council, IAES, Cuenca los Ojos and OSU. The project raises the need for financing to develop all the activities, which include the use of specific microsatellites for the analysis of hybridization between these catfish, the reproduction and cultivation of Yaqui Catfish, the training for pilot cultivation of species with management and conservation purposes in Sonora.