Rio Grande Silvery Minnow Sanctuary Fact Sheet
minnow sanctuary
Science, Mark Limbaugh, speaks at event
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.- The Bureau of Reclamation in partnership with the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, Fish and Wildlife Service and city of Albuquerque broke ground October 11th on a new off-channel sanctuary for the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow, nestled under the cottonwoods of the Rio Grande bosque in southwest Albuquerque.
Senator Domenici, along with Interior Department’s Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Mark Limbaugh , Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southwest Region Acting Director Geoff Haskett, Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District Board Member Augusta Meyers, Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District Board Chairman Charles Otero, and Albuquerque Open Space Division Superintendent Matt Schmader turned the first shovels of dirt to initiate the project.
Senator Pete Domenici proposed the project to the group over two years ago as all parties looked for ways to sustain the habitat for the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow. The new sanctuary project will include a diversity of elements of the natural environment such as side channels, backwaters, eddies, bars, and pools, which will provide a unique protected habitat for the minnow and help ensure the continued existence of the species.
Like the facility already in operation at the Rio Grande Biological Park, the sanctuary will mimic river conditions. The diverse channel will provide a rearing and breeding habitat for the minnow and protection from predator fish near the river. The sanctuary is designed to accommodate all life stages of the minnow, but initial emphasis will be placed on rearing hatchery produced fish and acclimating them to nature-like conditions.
The proposed project will operate year-round and consume little or no water. A constant flow of 10 to 15 cubic feet per second will be supplied from the Albuquerque Riverside Drain. After flowing through the sanctuary, water will be returned to the drain or to the river. Gates and fish screens will allow fish and eggs to be held in the channel and eventually released directly back into the river. Releases will be timed according to river conditions.
The construction of the unique protected habitat is considered one of the essential components for successful protection of the silvery minnow and will help fulfill the requirements of the 2003 Biological Opinion. Because the sanctuary is a pilot project, the number of fish that will be accommodated is not certain, but a goal of 10,000 to 15,000 is targeted. Intensive monitoring and adaptive management is planned to identify the best methods for operation and optimization of the minnow population in the sanctuary.