LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Scientists are evaluating if Thursday’s 7.0 earthquake in Northern California may have impacted the rarest fish in the world, which happen to live in Nevada.
The federally protected habitat of the pupfish is in Nevada’s Armargosa Valley, about 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, located in a small sliver of Death Valley National Park which extends into Nevada. Their home is in a submerged cave system known as Devils Hole, a cavern so deep — more than 500 feet — its true depth isn’t known. The opening of the spring-fed Devils Hole is 72 feet long by 11.5 feet wide and is closed off from the public.
Devils Hole is the only natural habitat of the little blue fish which measures barely an inch long but manages to survive in an environment that would kill any other kind of fish.
Although the epicenter of the quake was 500 miles away, biologists estimate it caused two-foot waves in the normally still 92-degree water. Underwater photos taken just before and shortly after the earthquake show the effect on Devils Hole.
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Underwater photo taken at 10:22 a.m. on Dec. 5, 2024, shortly before the Northern California earthquake. The pupfish depend on the algae that grows on a shallow, sunlit shelf. (Credit: NPS) -
Underwater photo taken at 11:32 a.m. on Dec. 5, 2024, shortly after the Northern California earthquake. The algae that grows on a shallow shelf was removed by the wave action. The algae provides food for the fish and its where they lay their eggs. (Credit: NPS)
“In the short term, this is bad for the pupfish,” said National Park Service biologist Dr. Kevin Wilson. “A lot of pupfish food just sank deeper into the cave, most likely too deep for the fish to get to it. There were likely pupfish eggs on the shelf that were destroyed. But, in the long term, this type of reset is good for the pupfish. It cleaned off any decaying organic matter that could otherwise cause pockets of low oxygen.”
According to the National Park Service, the most recent survey counted 212 fish, the highest number in the past 25 years. A decade ago, the population dipped to 35. Over recent years, the fish have managed to defy death.
Whether it’s a rare flash flood, or strong earthquakes hundreds of miles away, the fish manage to power on. Not only do they have the ability to stop breathing for up to two hours at a time, which is necessary to survive in the low-oxygen water, but it’s also been noted when a quake happens the fish rush to procreate by spawning, even out of season.
“Nevada Department of Wildlife biologists are evaluating how to mitigate the disruption on the fish, which are also impacted by groundwater pumping and climate change. Their plan will likely include increasing the amount of supplemental food supplied to the fish,” according to the National Park Services news release.
Even though the fish in Devils Hole have possibly survived for thousands of years, scientists continue to monitor and protect them ensuring they will continue to thrive.
