Prior to installation of tanks

After installation of tanks

Personnel from the AESO participated in construction of a new captive propagation facility being built at the Arizona Game and Fish Department's Bubbling Ponds facility near Cornville, Arizona.  Construction activities consisted of placement of 24 separate tanks, layout and installation of plumbing to each of the 24 tanks, and installation of a drainage system.  The facility will be used for captive propagation of fish from every remaining extant population of threatened spikedace and loach minnow in an effort to ensure that fish from rare populations are conserved prior to becoming extirpated, and that populations from all remaining locations are propagated to allow for reintroduction into the wild.  We anticipate bringing fish in to the facility as early as the end of June, 2007.  Planning for several reintroduction projects for threatened spikedace and loach minnow are underway, with reintroductions potentially occurring in Fall of 2007.  Because there are few source populations of the fish, captive propagation will ensure the ability to reintroduce populations and augment them as necessary, without depleting source populations.  Increasing the distribution and number of populations of both species is essential to their recovery.