By KRWG News
New Mexico – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says Rio Grande silvery minnows stocked in the Big Bend area of the river in Texas have successfully spawned a step in establishing the endangered fish outside the middle Rio Grande in New Mexico.
Biologists identified the river's Big Bend reach as the most likely spot to support the fish in the species' historic range.
Officials released 445,000 silvery minnows from New Mexico breeding facilities in 2008 in Big Bend Ranch State Park, Big Bend National Park and a privately owned conservation area.
They released 509,000 more last year.
This spring, they collected eggs from that part of the river to see what species were spawning, and identified some silvery minnow eggs.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.