A section of the newly constructed border wall also endangers rare desert fish, the conservation group said
A newly constructed section of the border wall in southern Arizona will protect more than just illegal immigrants, a conservation nonprofit says.
A section of the border wall and a “paved road through Arizona’s California Gulch block the flow essential to the survival of one of the two US resident populations of the Sonora chub,” a press release from the Center for Biological Diversity reads.
The “rare desert fish” is “a small, medium-weight fish that feeds on a variety of native foods and has a distinctive and distinctly red underside when in reproductive state,” the agency said.
“The new wall and road will push these endangered species back,” said Krista Kemppinen, Ph.D., senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity, in a statement.
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Now and then look at the portion of the border wall in southern Arizona that affects the endangered Sonora chub fish. (Russ McSpadden/Center for Biological Diversity)
“The survival of the Sonora chub depends on being able to access the rare desert waters on both sides of the border, exchange genes with nearby populations in Mexico, and strengthen the population through the migration of fish from Sonora upriver from Sonora after a drought. New construction makes all that. impossible,” he continued.
The agency drew attention to the issue just days before President-elect Donald Trump takes office and ramps up his border security efforts.
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A closer look at the endangered Sonora chub, a “minnow-delling minnow” that is usually five to seven inches long. (US Fish & Wildlife Service)
“Designating California Gulch as a critical area is more important than ever to reduce other threats, such as driving cattle from Sonora chub lakes,” Kemppinen said in a statement. “It is also important that carefully designed culverts are added to the new infrastructure along the border to at least reflect natural flow and migration. If government officials are serious about saving this fish, they should act now.”
Earlier this month, Trump sparked a heated debate over whether Democrats should be blamed for the California wildfires after he accused Gov. Gavin Newsom for caring more about protecting an endangered species of fish known as smelt than protecting the state’s residents from wildfires.
President Donald Trump speaks with U.S. Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott as they participate in a ceremony to commemorate the 200-kilometer border wall on the international border with Mexico in San Luis, Arizona, June 23, 2020. (SAUL LOEB/AFP)
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Trump sparked a firestorm Wednesday when he called out Newsom on his Truth Social platform for wanting to “protect a useless fish” by protecting the water needs of Californians. The comment is not new, however. Before the November election, Trump made the claim during an interview with October singer Joe Rogan.
Neither the Center for Biological Diversity nor Trump’s transition team responded to a request for comment on this story.
Fox News’ Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.
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