National Park Service Scientists Have Lost Track of the World's Rarest Fish

SFGate ^ | May 11, 2026 | Amanda Heidt

[nickcarraway]

Fearing mass firings, scientists made a desperate choice that could have lasting repercussions

It takes a village to preserve the world’s most endangered species, and last year, the team tasked with protecting the Devils Hole pupfish — a critically endangered fish found only in a single pool called Devils Hole in Death Valley National Park — faced an agonizing decision. That March, the number of pupfish had cratered to just 20 individuals, such that the species was facing imminent extinction. At the same time, staff at federal agencies were being laid off en masse by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency as the government barreled toward what would become the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.

Faced with so much uncertainty, the team made an 11th-hour decision to release dozens of captive-bred pupfish into the wild population in an attempt to boost their numbers. The plan worked, and today, the tiny desert ecosystem in Devils Hole appears to be rebounding. But in their rush to act, park biologists failed to collect genetic samples from some of the captive fish, meaning that scientists can no longer distinguish between those raised in captivity and the wild populations. The ramifications of their choice are yet to be felt, but it could create future management challenges.

“I empathize with the situation the team was in, but I think it was a mistake for sure to release those fish without collecting samples,” said Marty Kardos, a conservation biologist at Colorado State University who was pushed out of his federal role at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration around the same time that the pupfish drama was playing out. “Fortunately, I think it’s unlikely that it will be a catastrophic one.”

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TOPICS: Outdoors; Pets/Animals; Science
KEYWORDS: deathvalley; fish; nationalpark

[nickcarraway]

It takes what, 30 seconds to get a fish's DNA?

Is the world's rarest fish sashimi, ceviche, or crudo?

[Libloather]

I’ve got one. Don’t worry about it.

[PAR35]

Doesn’t taste like chicken.

[SmokingJoe]

It is estimated that over 99% to 99.9% of all species that have ever lived on Earth are now extinct. Scientists believe that of the billions of species that have existed over the past 4 billion years, only a tiny fraction (less than 1%) are alive today.

So why worry about some fish no one cares about?

[dfwgator]

Let them go gracefully.

[Veto!]

Other way around.

I care about it now, didn’t when I didn’t know it was endangered or even existed.

[packrat35]

All I get from this is Trump’s fault

And I don’t think anyone would care about this one way or another.

[NowApproachingMidnight]

Dammit I thought this was about liberals going full on and eliminating themselves.

[nickcarraway]

Does Trump even eat fish?

[clee1]

The damned libtards. Personally, IDGAF about 20 fish in one small pool, and less about the goobermint scientists studying them with my tax dollars.

[Gen.Blather]

“So why worry about some fish no one cares about?”

All that evolutionary and extinction by natural causes stopped when the US got rich enough to intervene in nature. The plight of the Northern Spotted owl was, of course, the fault of those horrible, horrible companies who were logging. So, all logging stopped to save the owl. Last I heard the Northern Spotted Owl was being wiped out by another species of owl who thrived in the increased available woodland. So, both problems were caused by evil, evil companies making a profit. BAD companies!

As for the missing fish...it was delicious.

[ClearCase_guy]

A fish
Which lives in Death Valley

And you tell me the population is small????

[Sequoyah101]

“But in their rush to act, park biologists failed to collect genetic samples from some of the captive fish, meaning that scientists can no longer distinguish between those raised in captivity and the wild populations”

OMG!!! What will we do? What will we do?

I wonder how many gubment employees and how many tax payer dollars are involved in the desert pup fish mess?

This is way, way, way past just silly.

[Fido969]

[GMThrust]

“...The ramifications of their choice are yet to be felt, but it could create future management challenges.” IOW, it’s an invasive species and will take over the area. Where have we seen this before?

[libertylover]

So why worry about some fish no one cares about?

So that far-left outlets can blame Trump and Elon Musk, as they have here.

[P8riot]

Could we have kippers for breakfast
Mummy dear, Mummy dear?

[packrat35]

I don’t know but they blame him for everything.

[Blood of Tyrants]

If any species is limited to one tiny geographic area, it is just a matter of time before it becomes extinct.

[Blood of Tyrants]

There’s no telling how much of your tax dollars are being spent on this project. I’ll bet it is at least ten million dollars per fish. And with such a tiny habitat there’s no way that it could possibly interrupt the “web of life”.