Rare fish rescued from Arizona wildfire

PennLive - The Associated Press ^ | 7/1/2003 | ARTHUR H. ROTSTEIN

[Willie Green]

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Biologists and volunteers used buckets, nets and an electric-shock device Tuesday to remove a rare species of fish endangered by ash and other debris from a wildfire that destroyed hundreds of mountaintop homes.

More than 600 Gila chubs, a minnow-like fish proposed for protection under the Endangered Species Act, were taken from the Sabino Creek and put aboard pickup trucks to be taken to the safety of a hatchery and research centers.

"We will just hold them in a safe location until things calm down," said Don Mitchell, a fisheries program manager with the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

Last month, a fire on Mount Lemmon destroyed more than 300 homes and businesses in several small communities including Summerhaven. The blaze was still burning Tuesday on the north side of the mountain and had charred some 40,500 acres.

The evacuation southwest of Mount Lemmon was undertaken to keep the fish from being killed when rain during the summer monsoon season washes debris down from the burned area.

"Our fear is if we get enough ash and soot and sediment into the canyon, we could lose them," Mitchell said. "There's a line of thought that these fish are genetically different than other Gila chubs in the area."

Sabino Canyon's Gila chub population is one of the largest among about two dozen stream populations scattered around Arizona.

The team left nine net traps sitting overnight in several small pools along Sabino Creek, most of which is dry at this time of year. The traps, baited with dog food, caught more than 400 of the chubs, ranging up to 10 inches long.

Volunteers carefully picked the gray fish out of the traps and tossed back unwanted creatures such as crawfish.

About 200 more chubs were found in three deeper pools amid the canyon's granite boulders. They were stunned with an electric-shock device and scooped up in nets.

[MississippiMan]

Let the houses burn. Save the minnowesque fish. Beautiful.

MM

[spoiler2]

Since these folks 'believe' in natural evolution, how can they justify messing with the basic process?

[LibWhacker]

[skinkinthegrass]

Hmmm...I wonder, What happen to the fish before man arrived in North America

[skinkinthegrass]

Hmmm...I wonder, What happen to the fish before man arrived in North America

[csvset]

Gila Chub

[chachacha]

"There's a line of thought that these fish are genetically different than other Gila chubs in the area."

Sounds scientifically proven to me.

What would we ever do with out the chub?

I wonder what this dramatic rescue cost the TAX PAYER?

[csvset]

Man, those Chubs are everywhere!

[JackelopeBreeder]

Bait.

[commish]

CHUBB CHUBBS!

[LibWhacker]

And I'm glad we posted pictures of the correct gila chub and didn't get 'em confused with all those other gila chubs in the area!

[null and void]

Hmmm...I wonder, What happen to the fish before man arrived in North America

Before Smokey (the) Bear, small natural fires kept the underbrush cleared out and the fuel load small enough that we didn't have major conflagrations.

Score another round for unintended consequences...

[StriperSniper]

"There's a line of thought that these fish are genetically different than other Gila chubs in the area."

Same enviroscam as them calling every river's salmon a unique species.

[spoiler2]

"There's a line of thought that these fish are genetically different than other Gila chubs in the area."

Maybe that's because of previous toxic fire runoffs in the area, which has rendered their genetic makeup a bit different.

But, due to being shocked by the preservationists, these will no longer be able to re-produce!

[Batrachian]

I'll bet half of them died from the shock of being caught and transported from their stream.

[eggman]

They were stunned with an electric-shock device and scooped up in nets.

Where's the sport in that? Oh well, out of the fire and into the frying pan.

[chachacha]

Seems like fires are the problem. Well' lets thin those forests down. Odmcourse we would have to ask the liberals if this would be OK.

[Hinoki Cypress]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Not another one! Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease!!

[skinkinthegrass]

Yes, I know, That's what made the Yellowstone Fires...a while back...so distructive and widespead...far too much underbrush as fuel...compounding the stupidity of the forestery dept.'s "Let it burn" policy...