Working in partnership with biologists from the Oklahoma Fishery Resources Office, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, and the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History, the Oklahoma Ecological Services Field Office completed its annual sampling effort for the Arkansas River shiner (Notropis girardi).  Fishes were sampled by the Service and then provided to the Oklahoma Museum of Natural History for identification and vouchering. 

The Arkansas River shiner has disappeared from more than 80 percent of its historical range and is now almost entirely restricted to the Canadian River in OK, TX, and NM.  An extremely small population may still persist in the Cimarron River in OK and KS, based on the collection of only 16 individuals from 1985 to 1992. Because the Arkansas River shiner has a maximum life span of about 3 years, with the majority not surviving past two years of age, it is doubtful that the species would continue to be collected if a remnant population did not persist.  However, considering this population is apparently very small, consistent, repeated captures of this species is unlikely, therefore the Service has intensified its sampling effort on the Cimarron River an will continue to do so in the following years.