The reintroduction of five native fish species into Ash Creek Arizona: Partnerships and policy change

Authors: Cori Carveth, Chris Cantrell

Year: 2008 (xl)

Abstract

In fall 2007 five native fish species were reintroduced to Ash Creek, a small perennial stream which flows into the Salt River, Arizona. Despite the fact that this stream was fishless, required no chemical renovation, and was solely located on federal land, this project took over 5 years to complete and faced significant hurdles during the implementation. This project brought to light the challenges that internal policy created for native fish reintroductions in Arizona and ultimately created a policy change that will make future native fish reintroductions more feasible. Lesson learned focus on the benefits of working cooperatively with multiple government agencies and involving the public in early planning.