As federal scientists faced turmoil, the Devils Hole pupfish reached a crisis point
A Fish Species With 27 Members Teeters on the Edge. Federal Scientists Are Being Fired. Both Problems Are Real.
What Happened
The Devils Hole pupfish — one of the rarest fish on Earth, living in a single geothermal pool in Nevada — has hit a population crisis, with numbers dropping to critically low levels. This coincides with significant disruptions to federal scientific agencies under recent administration changes, including staff cuts at agencies responsible for monitoring and protecting the species. The timing has raised alarms among conservation biologists.
Historical Context
The Devils Hole pupfish has been flirting with extinction for decades — this is not new. Population counts have swung between 35 and 553 individuals since monitoring began in 1972, with previous crashes in 2006 (~38 fish) and 2013 (~35 fish). The species survived all of them. Scientists also established a refuge population at a separate facility in 2013 precisely because of how vulnerable the wild population is. On the federal science disruption side: the U.S. has weathered significant agency restructurings before — the EPA was gutted in the early 1980s under Reagan, recovered, and continued its work. Institutions tend to outlast administrations.
What's In Your Control
Whether you donate to or volunteer with the Desert Tortoise Conservation Center or similar orgs that support Mojave/Great Basin desert species monitoring. Whether you contact your congressional representative about funding for the Fish and Wildlife Service. Whether you share this story with people who care about conservation rather than those who will simply despair over it.
Does This Require Action?
If you work in conservation or federal science: high awareness, consider advocacy. If you're a general reader: awareness only. The pupfish has surprised us before. The refuge population exists for exactly this moment.
Source: NPR
