The National Park Service has announced that the Devils Hole pupfish population has reached a 19-year high.
According to a Sept. 29 news release, Devils Hole is a detached unit of Death Valley National Park near the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Nye County, Nevada. Devils Hole pupfish (Cyprinodon diabolis) are found in the upper 80 feet of a deep water-filled cavern and the sunlit shallow shelf at the cavern’s entrance.
"It’s exciting to see the numbers gradually increasing over recent years," said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service senior fish biologist Michael Schwemm said, according to the release. "The ongoing trend, especially in this highly variable population, makes clear that habitat conditions have changed in a good way since the lowest counts. We’re excited about the future directions for research and recovery."
The count followed 7.6 magnitude earthquake in Mexico in September, which caused massive waves in the Devil's Hole. According to the Pahrump Valley Times, the earthquake "shook the Mexican states of Colima and Michoacán at 11:05 a.m. Twenty-two minutes later, water started sloshing 1,500 miles away in Devils Hole. The waves reached 4 feet high around 11:35 a.m."
The unusual nature of this activity in Devils Hole was underscored by a report in Nature World News that announced the increased count of the pupfish would occur. The publication quoted NPS aquatic ecologist Kevin Wilson. He told them the 6.8 magnitude earthquake, that also struck the southwest coast of Mexico early Thursday, not far from the epicenter Monday, did not disturb the water or produce any waves in Devils Hole.
