“With every fire, more of their populations are being affected,' said Jill Wick, native fish program manager for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. “Their habitat is often gone, washed out of the creek. There's no place they can hide & cool off.'
Fish biologists release Rio Grande cutthroat trout into a new creek after rescuing them from a fire Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022, near Amalia, N.M. Wildlife agencies in the southwestern U.S. consider missions like this essential as climate change brings more frequent and hotter wildfires, fueled by prolonged drought and tree-killing bug infestations. AMALIA, N.M.
Today, wildlife agencies in the southwestern U.S. consider missions like this essential as climate change brings more frequent and hotter wildfires, fueled by prolonged drought and tree-killing bug infestations. Particularly vulnerable are Rio Grande cutthroat trout and gila trout — rare species found mostly in small, high-elevation streams.
But farther south, ever-larger fires incinerate so much foliage holding soil in place that heavy debris flows cause oversized algae blooms that can suffocate fish. Man-made changes to waterways and landscapes make it harder for fish to survive during and after fires, she said. Water diversions have shrunk habitat. Low levels caused by drought, plus culverts, roads and dams, prevent fish from fleeing to cooler spots.
“There's a risk of demonizing or villainizing the Rio Grande cutthroat,” Mitchell said. "That could result in anything from vandalism to outright efforts to exterminate the fish, when by and large, longtime residents prize them.”
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