Journal Article

Hatchery Supplementation Increases Potential Spawning Stock of Rio Grande Silvery Minnow after Population Bottlenecks

Date: 2023/01/05

Author(s): Archdeacon T.P., Dudley R.K., Remshardt W.J., Knight W., Ulibarri M., Gonzales E.J.

Publication: Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, v. 152, p. 187-200

URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/tafs.10398

DOI: 10.1002/tafs.10398

Abstract:

Supplementation of imperiled wild fish stocks with captively raised fish is a commonly used conservation tool. Programs designed to maintain or improve fish populations through supplementation should be evaluated to determine whether they are meeting conservation objectives. The Rio Grande Silvery Minnow Hybognathus amarus is a small-bodied, endangered minnow endemic to the Rio Grande basin of the southwestern United States. The wild population of Rio Grande Silvery Minnow has been supplemented with captive-reared fish since 2002. Our objective was to determine whether supplementation measurably increases the number of spawning fish after years of population bottlenecks; this objective was simplified because nearly all hatchery-released fish have been given identifying markings.