Status of the desert pupfish

TASK FORCE REPORT JUNE 1971

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U.S. DEPARTMENTOFTHE INTERIOR

Fish drawings by Craig P. Phillips, National Fisheries
Center and Aquarium, Washington, D.C.

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STATUS OF THE
DESERT PUPFISH

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OWENS PUPFISH,
Cyprinodon radios us.

DEVILS HOLE PUPFISH,
Cyprinodon diabolis.

PAHRUMP VALLEY KILLIFISH,
Empetrichthys latos latos.

WARM SPRING PUPFISH,
Cyprinodon nevadensis pectoralis.

TECOPA PUPFISH,
Cyprinodon nevadensis calidae.

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Washington, D.C.

June 1971

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

A Progress Report on the
STATUS OF THE DESERT PUPFISH

Agencies Represented on the Interior Desert Pupfish Task Force

Bureau of Sport Fisheries & Wildlife

Bureau of Reclamation

Bureau of Land Management

National Park Service

Office of the Solicitor

Geological Survey

Office of Water Resources Research

Task Force Cooperators

State Conservation Agencies:

California Department of Fish and Game

Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

Nevada Department of Fish and Game

Universities:

University of California at Los Angeles
University of Nevada at Las Vegas
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

The Desert Fishes Council

Advisory Group

Washington, D.C.

June 1971

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FOREWORD

The plight of tiny pupfishes, isolated in scattered springs and streams
of the Death Valley System of California and Nevada for thousands of years,
is a matter of national and even international concern. For some forms
concern comes too late— they have already become extinct. The very
existence of others is threatened by activities of man— appropriation of
spring and ground waters, destruction of habitats, use of pesticides, and
release of exotic species into these restricted aquatic habitats. In a brief span
of several months or a few years at most, these species, too, may disappear if
protective measures are not implemented immediately.

A Task Force has been appointed within the Department of the
Interior to devise and to immediately apply appropriate action required to
save the pupfishes. In this cooperative endeavor, the Department is working
in close coordination with interested State, academic, and private agencies
and individuals.

This is a Task Force report on the status of these unique fishes
and an account of what has been done, what is being accomplished, and
what must still be undertaken through united efforts to perpetuate these
scientifically significant elements of America’s natural heritage.

Chairman, Departmental
Pupfish Task Force

STATUS OF THE DESERT PUPFISH

WHAT ARE PUPFISH?

Pupfish are diminutive fishes (cyprinodonts) no longer than one’s little finger, but they
have scientific importance far greater than their size. The desert pupfish represent remains of
larger populations that once inhabited the ancient lakes of the Southwest. As the lakes dried
and deserts appeared they adjusted to living in reduced habitats where unusual and extreme
conditions exist. Fishery scientists believe five of the living forms of pupfish are presently
endangered; one other may already be extinct. These unique fish are examples of evolutionary
change of the most dynamic type, and immediate effective measures are needed to perpetuate
them.

They are aggressive to other fishes and to each other. Males are colorful, with iridescent
blues and purples on their backs and sides, and with black bars and dark fin edges. Females are
mottled brown, and usually smaller and slimmer than the males. Pupfishes are omnivorous
feeders— algae, plankton, insects, and smaller fishes, alive and dead. They live in water ranging
from near freezing temperatures to well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Some can survive in
waters that are up to six times saltier than sea water. They can live in small pockets, deep
holes, and under very adverse and limited conditions.

Participants in the Second Symposium on “Rare and Endangered Fishes of the Death Valley System” examining Devils Hole,
habitat of the Devils Hole pupfish. The artificial shelf is in the background and the water level recorder is in the
foreground. Photo— P. Sanchez, National Park Service

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Of the surviving Death Valley cyprinodonts, five species and six subspecies are
recognized. These belong to two genera, one of which has only one species. Three kinds of
these fishes have recently become extinct, primarily because their spring habitats have changed
or have been destroyed. One other may be extinct. We must save the environment if these fish
are to survive. Once gone, they cannot be replaced. Except for Devils Hole, a detached part of
Death Valley National Monument, and School Spring, most of the springs are in private
ownership. Some of the springs receive limited protection but most are threatened with
destruction by oversubscribed pumping of ground water.

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SCHOOL SPRING

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THIS SMALL 5PRING IS HOME TO APUPFISH - * W

VAPlETYfCYPPINODON NEVADENS PECTORAUS/ A;

PUPFISHES ONCE LIVED IN A PLEISTOCENE
LAKE IN THIS VALLEY. WITH THE DRYING
OF THE LAKE REMAINING FISHES SURVIVED
IN ISOLATED SMALL SPRINGS. THIS - " '*■"* *
VARIETY OF TINY FISH FOUND ONLY IN
THIS SPRING TEACHES US HOW
ANIMAIS ADAPT TO ENVIRONMENT. - •

COOPERATORS

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NCV PISH C GAME DEPT

Entrance sign at the School Spring Refuge for the Warm Spring pupfish.

Photo — J. Yoakum, Bureau of Land Management

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WHAT ARE THE PROBLEMS?

There has been a shrinkage in the surface waters of the Death Valley drainage system
within the last decade. Almost all water in this desert country comes from underground except
during periods of heavy runoff. Surface exposure is confined to deep holes and seeps. It is in
these precarious environments that the pupfishes still survive. Man has jeopardized the exist¬
ence of these fishes by several actions:

1. By introducing predatory and competitive fishes such as the largemouth bass,
mosquitofish, exotic tropicals, goldfish, and even bullfrogs.

2. By destroying the habitats through drainage, filling, land clearing and leveling, and
by diversion of surface waters for irrigation.

3. By pumping water from springs and underground aquifers resulting in accelerated
decline of pool levels.

4. By the use of pesticides and other chemicals that find their way into springs,
thereby threatening an entire fish population.

5. By overzealous collecting of pupfishes for various purposes.

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Big Spring is one of the largest springs in Ash Meadows and would provide excellent pupfish habitat except that it contains

several kinds of exotic fishes. Photo— C. H. Lostetter

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An unamed spring with pump and irrigation pipe in the background. Devils Hole is at the base of the mountain to the left

of the pump. Photo — Dale Lockard

STATUS OF THE DESERT CYPRINODONTS

There are 10 recognized distinct species and subspecies of these fish found in Inyo
County, California, and adjacent Nye County, Nevada. They inhabit desert springs, seeps, and
streams with each variety confined to a single habitat in most instances. The fishes evolved
from stocks that were more widespread in their distribution and less diversified than the
present populations. Knowledge of these unique fishes and their habitats is still limited, and
danger of their being lost as unique representatives of our native fauna has only recently been
realized.

Three forms have become extinct during the past 23 years:

Raycraft Ranch springfish, Empetrichthys latos concavus. Formerly occurred in Pahrump
Valley, Nye County, Nevada. The habitat was destroyed in 1955.

Pahrump Ranch Killifish, E. 1. pahrump. Occurred in Pahrump Valley, Nye County, Nevada.
The habitat was destroyed in 1955.

Ash Meadows springfish, E. merriami. Occurred in the Death Valley System. The last specimen
was taken in 1948.

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Another subspecies has been reduced to such a low population level that it may also be
extinct. The Shoshone pupfish, Cyprinodon nevadensis shoshone is found in a few springs near
Shoshone, California, on private land. Further studies are being made to determine its status.

The following species are classified as ENDANGERED by the Secretary of the Interior
and unless protective and restorative measures are promptly initiated they also will become
extinct:

DEVILS HOLE PUPFISH, Cyprinodon diabolis— Most of the world’s population of the
tiny Devils Hole pupfish dwells in the confines of a small, warm pool in Devils Hole. The site is
located in a detached portion of Death Valley National Monument in Ash Meadows, Nye
County, Nevada. This sanctuary was established by Presidential Proclamation in 1952 and is
administered by the National Park Service.

The ancestral form of this pupfish became isolated more than 20,000 years ago in
Devils Hole when the once extensive lake system of the Death Valley region of Nevada and
California began to dry up and recede. In this isolated waterhole, the fish evolved rather
rapidly into an entirely unique inch-long species, highly adapted to the unusual conditions of
its restricted, hot water environment.

The pool, only 50 feet long and 10 feet wide, is found 50 feet below the rim of Devils
Hole. It has neither a surface inlet nor outlet but is connected to a vast underground water
system.

At one end of the pool is a small, submerged shelf which measures 10 feet wide and 18
feet long. The critical existence of the pupfish depends upon maintaining the wrater level above
this shelf, for on it the entire population feeds and reproduces. Beyond the shelf, the water
drops precipitously into a cavern more than 284 feet deep.

Sun rays that stimulate growth of algae strike the water surface in the deep crevasse for
only brief periods during summer days. Algae is important as food for the pupfish and for
aquatic organisms upon which they feed. Under conditions of abundant food and optimum
water level, the population of pupfish may increase to 700 individuals by fall. In winter,
however, when sunlight cannot reach the water, food supplies become scarce and total
numbers of the Devils Hole pupfish may diminish to less than 200.

Recently, the water level in Devils Hole has been dropping drastically. If it continues to
decline, more of the vital shelf area will be uncovered. For the lack of suitable spawning and
feeding sites, this unique species could then become extinct. Preservation of this strategic
habitat is the primary objective of the Department’s efforts to insure the survival of the Devils
Hole pupfish. Other interim measures are being attempted to preserve the breeding population
of this relict species.

In May 1970, an artificial shelf and an electric lighting system were installed in Devils
Hole. During subsequent months, the pupfish utilized the shelf for feeding and the lights
stimulated growth of aquatic vegetation. As yet, there is no evidence of breeding on the
artificial shelf.

In addition, small numbers of pupfish were transplanted into two isolated springs and
into a man-made pool constructed nearby to simulate conditions in Devils Hole. Efforts are
being made to reproduce the pupfish in captivity. It is too early to determine the success of
these activities.

TECOPA PUPFISH, Cyprinodon nevadensis calidae— This pupfish has been found onlv
in a reservoir and a small stream near Tecopa Hot Springs about 7 miles south of Shoshone,
California. In this same hot springs complex there is a public bath house, a laundering facility
and a large trailer park, and there is evidence of interest in further development of the area.
This pupfish is in an extremely vulnerable situation.

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One of the Tecopa Hot Springs. Photo— C. H. Lostetter

WARM SPRING PUPFISH, Cyrinodon nevadensis pectoralis— Its present distribution is
limited to Sehool Spring and Seruggs Springs in the northern part of Ash Meadows, Nye
County, Nevada. School Spring, which is under the administration of the Bureau of Land
Management, has been improved and is protected by a chain link fence. The natural water
supply is dwindling. A well was drilled nearby and a pump installed for supplementary water
supply. A search is underway for suitable transplant sites in Nevada to support reserve popula¬
tions of this pupfish.

OWENS PUPFISH, Cyprinodon radiosus— Once widely distributed in Owens Valley of
California, the species is now confined primarily to a marshy pool located about 10 miles

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north of Bishop, California. Here in cooperation with the Los Angeles Department of Water
and Power, the California Department of Fish and Game has established a native fish sanctuary
for the perpetuation of this pupfish. To further insure the survival of the species, Owens
pupfish have been transplanted also into a few additional nearby locations.

PAHRUMP KILLIFISH, Empetrichthys latos— Native population of this species is
found in a small pool located on a private ranch in Pahrump Valley, Nye County, Nevada.
Declining water levels and potential adverse activities in this vicinity threaten this species’
existence. Consequently, a few of these killifish were transplanted into an isolated spring in
southern Nevada in an attempt to protect these fishes if they were lost from their original
habitat.

Pool at Manse Springs, Pahrump Valley, Nevada, habitat of the Pahrump killifish.

Photo— C. H. Lostetter

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The following five other species or subspecies are not presently classified as
endangered. However, they are bv no means safe and close monitoring of these populations is
necessary to assure their continued existence.

AMARGOSA PUPFISH. Cyprinodon ncvadcnsis amargosa
ASH MEADOWS PUPFISH, Cyprinodon nevadensis mionectes
SARATOGA SPRINGS PUPFISH. Cyprinodon nevadensis nevadensis
SHOSHONE PUPFISH, Cyprinodon nevadensis shoshone (Status Undetermined)

SALT GREEK PUPFISH. Cyprinodon salinus

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WHAT ELSE W AS OR IS BEING DONE?

1. Hydrologic Studies.

Several preliminary hydrologic appraisals and two major investigations have been
instituted through the efforts of the Departmental Pupfish Task Force.

At the request of the Department, the Geological Survey has initiated an investigation
to determine the hvdrologic relationship between ground water withdrawals in the Ash
Meadows area, spring discharge, and the pool level in Devils Hole. This investigation is now in
progress and has as its main objectives the determination of effects of pumping from wells on
the water level in Devils Hole and the flow of springs; to determine what part of the current
pumping is derived from ground water storage and reduction in spring discharge rather than

Graph of the decline in water level at Devils Hole based on D.S. Geological Survey records.

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from salvage of evaporated and transpired water; and, to evaluate other possible causes of the
decline in water level in Devils Hole. Funding is pro\ided bv the Department's Bureau of Sport
Fisheries and Wildlife, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation. National Park
Service, and Geological Survey.

A second study, funded by the Department s Office of Water Resources Research and
contracted to the Nevada Desert Research Institute, is just beginning (Februarv 1971). It is a
logical step following the Geological Survey's hydrologic studies, and has as its purpose the
formulation of a water-development and management plan for the Ash Meadows basin that
would ensure the safety of the pupfish.

2. Surveillance

Surveillance of the welfare of the pupfishes in the isolated habitats, of the water levels,
of food conditions, and of endangering activities is being made bv all parties concerned.
Periodic examination of fish populations and water conditions are made bv State. Federal, and
university officials. Weekly inspections of the Ash Meadows fishes and their environments,
including School Spring and Devils Hole, are conducted bv the National Park Service. Bureau
of Land Management, and the Geological Survey. These observations are reported directlv to
the Task Force.

3. Additional Transplant Sites and Refugia

In an attempt to perpetuate various species of pupfishes in the event disaster should
befall endemic populations in the natural habitats, additional locations are being investigated
that may serve as suitable sites in which to transplant certain species or which may serve as
refugia for endangered forms.

Suitable locations are those which contain biological, physical, and chemical aquatic
conditions that nearly duplicate those found in the natural environment of the species to be
transplanted. Moreover, such locations must not contain any closely related species. The
transplant or refugia sites must be secure from adverse uses that might threaten the survival of
the transplanted fishes, and they must contain reliable water supplies.

All agencies concerned with the survival of the pupfishes are participating in the
location and evaluation of potential sites.

4. Aquarium Culture

Since it has been demonstrated that certain Cyprinodon species and related forms can
be bred and reared in captivity, the Task Force endorses the program of establishing “standby"
aquarium stocks of endangered pupfish species. These stocks should be protected from
intentional or accidental hybridization with one another, since this would make them valueless
in restocking wild populations. Rearing of captive specimens could be allocated to a very few
selected institutions, public aquariums, or responsible individuals under prescribed, controlled
conditions.

It is anticipated that, for public information and appreciation purposes, a display of
certain pupfish species will be established at the National Aquarium in Washington. D.C., if
stocks become available for this purpose.

5. Reclassification of Bureau of Land Management Lands

Approximately 7300 acres of public lands in Ash Meadow s have been 'de-classified* for
exchange to private ownership by Secretarial Order as of September 3. 1970. These lands do

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not now have any pending application for transfer of ownership. The Task Force has
recommended that no new classification actions be taken until all the hydrologic information
has been analyzed and definite conclusions reached on the ground water system.

6. Present Legal Status

In withdrawing Devils Hole from the public domain for inclusion in Death Valley
National Monument, the 1952 Presidential Proclamation stated that “the said pool is of such
outstanding scientific importance that it should be given special protection. . . .” The “peculiar
race of desert fish” was cited by the proclamation as a primary reason for protecting the area.
Besides the pupfish found in Devils Hole, other species are found in several springs located on
the public domain and on certain private lands. The Task Force is approaching this problem on
the basis that the Government has a water right in Devils Hole and in the springs located on the
public domain.

In addition to the proclamation adding Devils Hole to the National Monument,
Congress has enacted the Endangered Species Act which pledges the United States to conserve
and protect native fish species where threatened with extinction.

During 1970 water users in the Ash Meadows area filed applications with the Office of
the State Engineer, State of Nevada, to appropriate ground water by means of wells. The
National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management, in accordance with Nevada State
Statutes, filed protests in opposition to these permits. In October of 1970 the Task Force
requested that the State Engineer of Nevada postpone any action on the permits pending
completion of ongoing hydrologic studies. In December of 1970, the State Engineer refused to
delay the issuance of the permits and held a hearing at which the Department appeared in
opposition to the issuance of the water permits. At the conclusion of these proceedings the
State Engineer granted the applications and allowed pumping over the objection of the
Department. The effect of this action on the water levels in Ash Meadows remains to be seen.

THE NEED FOR CONTINUED COOPERATION

Much of the planning and effort to date to save the pupfishes has been accomplished
by State and Federal agencies and by university scientists. Survival of the fishes depends on the
continued cooperation of all these interests.

In November 1969, a group of interested scientists and other conservationists held a
Symposium at Death Valley National Monument, California, on the “Rare and Endangered
Fishes of the Death Valley System.” The primary purpose of the Symposium was to determine
what should be done to save these rare and endangered fishes from extinction. A second
Symposium was held November 17 and 18, 1970, to review the status of each species, discuss
progress during the year and to make future plans.

One outcome of the Second Symposium was the formation of “The Desert Fishes
Council,” a group dedicated to the preservation of America’s desert dwelling fishes. Mr.
E. Philip Pister, of the California Department of Fish and Game, was chosen as the first
chairman. He is now organizing the Council, which consists of representatives from
Government, universities, and others knowledgeable of the environmental problems faced by
desert dwelling fishes.

This Council, which will meet on the call of the Chairman, will serve as a clearinghouse
for information on all desert fishes. It will have no legal authority, but will be in position to
exert an effective influence on State and Federal agencies, private companies and individuals

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on matters related to the fishes and their habitats. Its sphere of operations, initially related to
the fishes of the Ash Meadows— Death Valley area, may be expanded to include other
geographical areas and kinds of fishes.

The Council Chairman has appointed an Advisory Group to work closely with the
Interior Pupfish Task Force on various technical matters. This group is already functioning and
has advised the Task Force on such matters as the test pumping schedule (early 1971), plans
for fish transplants and refugia, and the need to restrict fish collections in the Amargosa Basin.

Cooperation, however, must go beyond these governmental and scientific groups.
Private landowners and citizens, including irrigators pumping water in the Ash Meadows area,
have a very important role in the entire preservation effort. It is the pumping and rising
requirements for water that affect, perhaps more than any other single factor, the condition of
the habitats for the pupfishes and other living inhabitants of the water holes and drainages.
Continued participation in these efforts by the Foresta Institute, the Sierra Club, and other
private conservation agencies is essential. The interest of the public stimulated by television
documentaries, popular articles and news releases, has resulted in hundreds if not thousands of
letters urging all possible attention to this environmental crisis. The Task Force, the Desert
Fishes Council and all those whose interests are affected by the plight of these small fishes,
must sustain their concern and effort if common goals are to be achieved. Time is still of the
highest essence.

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THE PEOPLE INVOLVED

U.S. Department of the Interior Pupfish Task Force Members
Bureau of Land Management

Louis A. Boll Robert J. Smith

Bureau of Reclamation

E. A. Seaman

Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife

Harry A. Goodwin
Paul S. Handwerk
Willis King
Edward C. Kinney

Geological Survey

Gerald Meyer

National Park Service
Edwin W. Reed 0. L. Wallis

Office of the Solicitor

Ronald Lambertson David A. Watts

Office of Water Resources Research
Stanton J. Ware

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James T. McBroom, Chairman
Earl T. Walker
William M. White
Warren J. Wisby

The Desert Fishes Council Advisory Group to the Task Force

James H. Brown, Department of Zoology, University of California at Los Angeles
Carl L. Hubbs, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, La Jolla, California
James E. Deacon, Department of Biology, University of Nevada at Las Vegas
Dale V. Lockard, Nevada Department of Fish and Game, Las Vegas
Robert Rush Miller, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
*E. Philip Pister, California Department of Fish and Game, Bishop

*Chairman, Desert Fishes Council

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SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cry California. 1970. Special report on the pupfish of the Death Valley region. Journal of
California Tomorrow, vol. 5, no. 2, Spring 1970, 26 p., 681 Market St., San Francisco 94105.

Deacon, James E. 1969. Fishes of the desert. The Biologist, vol. 22, no. 2 (Dec. 1940). p. 61-69.

LaRivers, Ira. 1962. Fishes and fisheries of Nevada. Nevada Fish and Game Commission.
782 p.

Miller, Robert R. 1948. The cyprinodont fishes of the Death Valley system of eastern
California and southwestern Nevada. Miscellaneous Publication, Museum of Zoology,
University of Michigan, no. 68, 155 p.

Miller, Robert R. 1961. Man and the changing fish fauna of the American Southwest. Papers,
Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Letters, vol. 46 (1960), p. 365-404.

Pister, Edwin P. 1970. The rare and endangered fishes of the Death Valley system. California
Department of Fish and Game, Sacramento. 18 p. plus appendix. Mimeo.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT:

California Department of Fish and Game, 1416 Ninth St., Sacramento 95814
Nevada Department of Fish and Game, Box 10678, Reno 89510

Department of the Interior, Bureau of Sport Fisheries & Wildlife:

(a) Washington, D.C. 20240

(b) 730 N.E. Pacific St., Portland, Oregon 97208

Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management:

(a) Division of Wildlife, Washington, D.C. 20240

(b) State Director, Federal Bldg., 300 Booth St., Reno, Nevada 89502

Department of the Interior, National Park Service:

(a) Office of Natural Science Studies, Interior Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20240

(b) Superintendent, Death Valley National Monument, Death Valley, California 92328

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GPO 9 18-704

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Map of the Death Valley System with an enlargement of the Ash Meadows area.

As the Nation’s principal conservation agency, the Department
of the Interior has basic responsibilities for water, fish, wildlife,
mineral, land, park, and recreational resources. Indian and Ter¬
ritorial affairs are other major concerns of this department of
natural resources.

The Department works to assure the wisest choice in managing
all our resources so that each shall make its full contribution to
a better United States now and in the future.