Photo credit: WildEarth Guardians

Rio Grande shiner (Notropis jemezanus) | ESA status: petitioned for listing

Rio Grande shiner

This imperiled fish is one of many species threatened by water mismanagement of the Rio Grande.

Rio Grande shiner habitat

The shiner is native to New Mexico and Texas, where it is found in wide, sandy, main-channel habitats of rivers including the Pecos and the Rio Grande.

What are the threats to the Rio Grande shiner?

The embattled Rio Grande is considered one of the top ten most imperiled rivers in the world. Like other imperiled species in the Rio Grande, including the Rio Grande silvery minnow, the Rio Grande shiner is in danger from dewatering of the river for agriculture and municipal use; fragmentation of habitat because of dams and diversions; and artificial flow regimes that interrupt the river’s natural cycles.

What WildEarth Guardians is doing to protect the Rio Grande shiner

Guardians submitted a scientific petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service describing why the agency must protect the Rio Grande shiner under the Endangered Species Act. Guardians has long been urging water management authorities to rethink rivers and manage water for the health of native ecosystems as well as human communities.

Wildlife Press: Rio Grande shiner

Press Releases

Rare Rio Grande fish passes first hurdle on path to recovery

Mar 24, 2021

Rio Grande shiner receives positive 90-day finding by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service following petition submitted by WildEarth Guardians

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WildEarth Guardians protects and restores the wildlife, wild places, wild rivers, and health of the American West.

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