Thanks to Peter Unmack
March 19-22, 1998 marked a successful conservation trip to southeastern Nevada, a joint effort of the Bay Area K.A., North American Native Fishes Association (NANFA), Northern California K.C., and Tropical Fishkeepers Exchange. Sites for the efforts were the Moapa River near Glendale, and the Virgin River at Mesquite.
Near the upper springhead of the Moapa River, large numbers of tilapia (Oreochromis aureus) and a number of mollies (Poecilia mexicana) and Gambusia (Gambusia affinis) were removed. Only a few native springfish (Crenichthys baileyi moapae) and Moapa dace (Moapa coriacea) were seen. Further downstream, gill nets were set overnight in ponds near an old power station dam, but yielded only tilapia and some baby mollies. A year ago Jim Heinrich of the Nevada Division of Wildlife caught good numbers of Virgin River chubs (Gila seminuda) at this site.
Results were better at the Virgin River at Mesquite, where tagged hatchery stock woundfin (Plagopterus argentissimus) and Virgin River chubs have been released. Good numbers of native fish were also found, including speckled dace (Rhinichthys osculus), and both flannelmouth (Catostomus latipinnis) and desert suckers (Pantosteus clarki) as well as the two stocked species. Also present, but in lower numbers than had been previously observed were Red Shiners (Cyprinella lutrensis). The riverine environment seemed to be in fairly good condition, but water diversions during the summer virtually dry out this stretch of river, resulting in elevated water temperatures and a severe reduction in suitable habitat for the fish.
Additional work was done upstream, over the border into Arizona at the mouth of Beaver Dam Wash. Workers collected desert suckers for genetic work, and found hundreds of speckled dace. Further upstream they found Virgin River spinedace (Lepidomeda mollispinis), the rarest native fish in the drainage.
All Nevada work and collections were conducted under the supervision of Jim Heinrich; collecting in Arizona was conducted under state and federal permits.
— G.C.K.A. Newsletter, June 1998