By Becky Oskin, Senior Writer | September 09, 2014 04:18pm ET
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.
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