Small Fish, Big Problems: Life History, Conservation, and the Future of the Rio Grande Silvery Minnow

Abstract

The Rio Grande Silvery Minnow Hybognathus amarus is a small-bodied minnow emblematic of a reproductive guild endemic to rivers of the North American Great Plains. This species has been lost from over 90% of its historical range. The species was federally listed as endangered in 1994 and intensive conservation efforts over the past three decades have averted its extinction in the wild. This article synthesizes the life history of the species, causes of decline and existing threats, and prospects for recovery considering ongoing conservation efforts. Restoring multiple self-sustaining populations remains questionable given large-scale, irreversible changes to the Rio Grande basin, though the resiliency of the species and established conservation programs hold at least some potential for advancing recovery beyond simply preventing extinction.