Biologists catch rare virgin river fish, hope 'we're making a difference'

ST GEORGE – The Virgin River may rage and change flows in southern Utah, but biologists say this sensitive aquatic species is doing just fine.

The Virgin River has six native fish species: desert suckers, speckled dace, flannelmouth dace, virgin spinadece, virgin river chubs, and waiffins, some of which are listed under the Endangered Species Act, such as chubs.

Virgin River chubs are rare silver-sized minnows found only in southwestern Utah, southern Nevada, and northern Arizona. The species is federally listed as threatened where it is found.

Each year, typically in October, the Utah Department of Wildlife Resources monitors the species. They recently completed a project focusing on chub, collecting data at six locations around southern Utah, said Cody Callister, a native aquatic biologist at DWR's Washington County field office.

Hurricane sites are located upstream of Washington Dam and below the I-15 bridge in St. George, near Quail Creek Scout Camp.

Department personnel set traps at this location, each about 500 meters long. While the project focuses primarily on Virgin River chub, Callister said the nets can catch all six native species as well as non-native fish.

This project can provide valuable information for biologists.

“To make good management decisions, we need to know how the fish are doing, like in terms of population or reproduction or recruitment and survival,” Callister said. “And so monitoring, as a department and our partners, allows us to make those decisions more informed and that guides future management actions for fish and their habitat.”

Read more at St. George News.