> I want to gain some experience keeping a non-threatened subspecies
> before trying to convince local authorities to let me keep some Santa
> Ana Speckled Dace. It's really looking like all pathways to legally
> acquiring native fish are closed off in most of the Western United States.
Your best bet is to talk to the local Cal fish and game folks (or whoever
is actually involved in the Santa Ana stuff) and see about getting a
permit to allow you to keep some for research purposes. That way you
don't need to worry about any legal issues. The best way to work with
these folks is to build up a relationship of trust. Get out and volunteer
and work with them in the field. Have them come over to check out your
setup etc etc. I doubt that they would grant a permit to a hobbyist
without them first knowing the person pretty well. Also, get a hold of
whatever literature there is on reproduction in Rhinichthys. I don't
think there are very many papers on R. osculus, so it should be pretty
easy. Have no idea what has been done on other species. Note too that R.
osculus is realistically about 10-20 species and there may be significant
differences in aspects of their reproductive biology across what is
currently called R. osculus.
Cheers
Peter Unmack
Salt River, Arizona
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