According to Besty Grube, biologist at Arizona Game and Fish Department, it took the team approximately 90 minutes to catch 600 dace from the creeks larger population.
Bogan stated that we had some big ones. The transplants were then transferred into a pair 4 gallon buckets and strapped to backpacks for transport to the river.
Wednesday’s release was part a cooperative effort of the county, the city and the UA, Arizona Game and Fish and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Only one dace died in the operation. The rest settled quickly into their new homes.
Experts expect them to start spawning this spring.
The fish seemed very vigorous and they swam free, said Ian Murray (a conservation biologist with Pima County Office of Sustainability and Conservation). They are quite tough fish.
About 500 dace were returned to the river downstream of the county’s Agua Nueva water reclamation facility, near El Camino Del Cerro. Rest were released south of Starr Pass Boulevard bridge. This is where the city began releasing recycled water in 2019 as part its Santa Cruz River Heritage Project.
This northerly flow has created a narrow ribbon of green, measuring approximately one-half mile long, that reaches up to Congress Street, and possibly beyond, depending on the day.
