Rare Nevada fish to get full review for possible US listing

By SCOTT SONNER
Associated Press

RENO, Nev. (AP) — U.S. wildlife officials say there’s enough evidence a rare fish along the California-Nevada line may be at risk of extinction to warrant a yearlong review to determine if it should be listed under the Endangered Species Act. Conservationists petitioned for protection of the Fish Lake Valley tui chub in March 2021. They say dwindling populations of the 5-inch-long, olive-colored minnow remain in only one basin in Esmeralda County halfway between Reno and Las Vegas. They blame over-pumping of groundwater to irrigate farms and livestock pastures for a dramatic shrinking of its habitat in the drought-stricken West, where water shortages threaten numerous other species.