Nevada Area Report

Authors: Eric S. Miskow, Lee H. Simons, Kevin Guadalupe, James Harter, Jeff Petersen, Todd Gilmore, Andrew P. Martin

Year: 2014 (xlvi)

Abstract

Nevada waters contain 16, endangered and 6 threatened species of fishes as well as numerous undescribed At-risk fish taxa. A summary, overview and status of NevadaÁ¢â‚¬â„¢s desert fishes, current research and management projects in the state will be addressed. Information on selected areas includes: Restoration efforts at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge continue on several systems including crayfish eradication at South Scruggs which began in 2012, with restoration efforts to begin in October of 2014. Restoration at Longstreet/Rodgers system has been completed and the Five Springs area has planned channel restoration where the Ash Meadows Amargosa pupfish, Cyprinodon nevadensis mionectes inhabit. Additionally, recent genetic work by Andy Martin (U. of Colorado) has determined the first whole genome sequence of a pupfish, C. nevadensis this should facilitate a host of studies focused on various questions. In the White River region of eastern Nevada, restoration and habitat efforts for the Endangered Pahranagat roundtail chub, Gila robusta jordani at both the refugia population and the wild population continue. Much of the work is part of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife (USFWS) Cooperative Recovery Initiative in the valley through the USFWS Partners Program. Non-native crayfish and habitat deterioration of refuge populations of the Endangered Pahrump poolfish, Empetrichthys latos latos continue to be of a heightened concern; prompting concentrated and pointed habitat and restoration efforts at both Shoshone Ponds and Corn Creek Field Station. Conservation efforts in the form of two rotenone applications and the stabilization of a well were among some of activities providing further secure habitat for this taxon. In Oasis Valley, habitat restoration in the Amargosa River corridor including the reconnection of a major spring outflow has provided improved habitat for the Amargosa toad Anaxyrus nelsoni and the native Oasis Valley speckled dace Rhinichthys osculus ssp. furthering the successes of Agency and local landowner cooperation. In addition to these species updates, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service completed a Revised Draft Recovery Plan for the bull trout Salvelinus confluentus where the southernmost residing population occurs in the Jarbidge Mountains in northern Nevada. The draft focuses on effective management to bull trout and a de-emphazation on achieving target point estimates of abundance of adult bull trout in each core area. At Soldier Meadows, Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) biologists conducted the first range-wide surveys for the Threatened desert dace Eremichthys acros in over 10 years to determine current status and abundance. In Ruby Valley, NDOW have continued efforts and monitoring of the relict dace Relictus solitarius in the three new transplant ponds created two years ago. An update on the population status of Moapa dace Moapa coriacea will be addressed as well. And, finally, in January, the U.S. Department of Interior honored long time native fish champion Gary Scoppettone (U.S. Geological Service biologist, retired) The Partners in Conservation Award, for helping land managers save two species of fish from extinction, the Cui-ui Chasmistes cujus and the Lahontan cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi , since 1981 Scoppettone has worked to provide the science that has allowed these fish to recover the endangered and tribally sacred desert fish at Pyramid Lake in northern Nevada.

Resumen

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