Texas' Big Bend to get endangered minnows
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DEXTER, N.M. (AP) — Thousands of endangered Rio Grande silvery minnows reared at a national hatchery in southeastern New Mexico are being trucked to Texas, where the tiny fish will be released into the Rio Grande near Big Bend National Park.
The release is part of a five-year experiment by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that aims to establish a population of minnows in the river's southern reaches.
Surveys show some minnows released at Big Bend last year are still there, so biologist Aimee Roberson says there's hope for the reintroduction effort.
Once abundant, minnow numbers plummeted due to habitat changes and environmental pressures on the Rio Grande. The fish was listed as endangered in 1994, and the New Mexico hatchery has been rearing them for release back into the wild.
