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Conservation and status of the fish communities inhabiting the Río Conchos basin and middle Rio Grande, México and U.S.A.

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Abstract

The Chihuahuan Desert region contains a numberof unique aquatic environments, but with fewexceptions, these have been little studied. Because of the dearth of information aboutthese environments and because many of the fishin the region are threatened with extinction orhave gone extinct, we sampled the RíoConchos basin and adjoining aquatic habitats inthe Rio Grande to assess the status of the fishof this region. Most sites showed some degreeof human-induced impacts. A number ofpotentially threatened fish were eitherabundant at only a few sites or rare or absentthroughout the localities sampled. Withoutconcerted binational efforts to conserve thefish of the region, further deletions to thenative fish fauna will likely occur.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, The University of Texas-Pan American, Edinburg, TX, 78539, USA

    Robert J. Edwards

  2. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Heart of the Hills Research Station, Ingram, TX, 78025, USA

    Gary P. Garrett

  3. Department of Zoology, The University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, 73019, USA

    Edie Marsh-Matthews

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  1. Robert J. Edwards
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  2. Gary P. Garrett
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  3. Edie Marsh-Matthews
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Edwards, R.J., Garrett, G.P. & Marsh-Matthews, E. Conservation and status of the fish communities inhabiting the Río Conchos basin and middle Rio Grande, México and U.S.A.. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries 12, 119–132 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025098229262

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