Mora National Fish Hatchery and Technology Center
Encyclopedia
The Mora National Fish Hatchery and Technology Center is one of seven federal fish hatchery technology centers in the United States
. Located in Mora County
, New Mexico
, on State Route 434 (milepost 1.5), it is mainly involved in the restoration and recovery of the endangered Gila trout
, a fish found only in the upper headwaters of the Gila River
in New Mexico and Arizona
. . Formal cooperative agreements between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
and New Mexico Game and Fish call for the Mora hatchery to also establish a brood stock of Rio Grande cutthroat trout
and provide fish culture training to other biologists. The Mora hatchery also works to conserve the bonytail chub
.
and Sonoran sucker. Culturing fish in as natural an environment as possible is intended to maintain wild characteristics so that the offspring are well-suited to face the rigors of the wild.
Elaborate quarantine procedures have been established to prevent the spread of disease to the rare brood stocks from fish brought in from the wild and from other hatcheries. Of particular concern is whirling disease.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Located in Mora County
Mora County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*70.9% White*0.7% Black*1.3% Native American*0.3% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.3% Two or more races*23.5% Other races*81.0% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, on State Route 434 (milepost 1.5), it is mainly involved in the restoration and recovery of the endangered Gila trout
Gila trout
The gila trout is one of two subspecies of trout in O. gilae, the other being the Apache trout . Both are native to the Southwest United States. The gila trout is a species of salmonid, related to the rainbow and cutthroat trouts. The Gila trout has been considered endangered with extinction....
, a fish found only in the upper headwaters of the Gila River
Gila River
The Gila River is a tributary of the Colorado River, 650 miles long, in the southwestern states of New Mexico and Arizona.-Description:...
in New Mexico and Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. . Formal cooperative agreements between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is a federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats...
and New Mexico Game and Fish call for the Mora hatchery to also establish a brood stock of Rio Grande cutthroat trout
Rio Grande cutthroat trout
The Rio Grande cutthroat trout , a member of the family Salmonidae is found in New Mexico and southern Colorado in tributaries of the Rio Grande...
and provide fish culture training to other biologists. The Mora hatchery also works to conserve the bonytail chub
Bonytail chub
The bonytail chub or bonytail, Gila elegans, is a cyprinid freshwater fish native to the Colorado River of Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada and Utah in the southwestern United States...
.
Gila trout
Scientists at the Mora hatchery keep brood stocks of the Gila trout, maintaining them in as natural a setting as possible. They keep the Gila trout in tanks with woody cover, current flow, and with other fishes that naturally associate in the wild, like the desertDesert sucker
Catostomus clarki, the Desert Sucker or Gila Mountain Sucker is a freshwater species of fish in the sucker family that lives in the Great Basin and the Colorado River Basin.-Description:...
and Sonoran sucker. Culturing fish in as natural an environment as possible is intended to maintain wild characteristics so that the offspring are well-suited to face the rigors of the wild.
Elaborate quarantine procedures have been established to prevent the spread of disease to the rare brood stocks from fish brought in from the wild and from other hatcheries. Of particular concern is whirling disease.