An inch-long fish that sparked a Supreme Court battle could go extinct in less than 30 years, a new modeling study concludes.
Kept under lock and key, the Devils Hole pupfish (Cyprinodon diabolis) has teetered on the brink of extinction since it made the federal list of endangered species in 1967. Now, with fewer than 100 fish left, federal officials must carefully weigh the impacts of any conservation efforts, including a new captive breeding program.
In 2013, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) opened a $4.5 million "ark" in Nevada for the Devils Hole pupfish. The Ash Meadows facility precisely mimics the hot (93 degrees Fahrenheit, or 34 degrees Celsius), mineral-laden waters inside the fenced-in cavern where the animal lives in the wild. In April, biologists announced that Ash Meadows pupfish had laid eggs in captivity for the first time. All previous attempts to raise captive pupfish populations have eventually failed, however.
Even with the initial success at Ash Meadows, wildlife officials continue to collect fish eggs from the original dwellers in Devils Hole cavern. This poses a risk to the shrinking pupfish population, however. To reduce the impact of the egg collection, biologists should gather pupfish eggs in the fall, when the fish population is larger, rather than in the spring, according to the new study, for which a scientist analyzed the extinction risks for the pupfish.
The pupfish spawn year round, but the best hatching period lasts only 10 weeks. Currently, eggs are harvested on artificial spawning beds, in the times of the year when hatchlings rarely survive, according to USFWS.
breeding ground 
100
500
100
