Ash Meadows Fish Conservation Facility
The Ash Meadows Fish Conservation Facility (AMFCF) is located on the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge (AMNWR). It was built with a Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA) grant and was completed in 2013. The goal of the AMFCF is to house a captive population of Devils Hole pupfish and conduct research to support conservation of Devils Hole pupfish and Devils Hole.
The AMFCF consists of a ~100,000 gallon Refuge Tank which includes a replica of the Devils Hole habitat and ecosystem, a propagation room equipped with a variety of aquaria systems and a wet laboratory, office space, and a mechanical room housing state-of-the-art equipment to maintain refuge tank water quality and environmental parameters. Since its opening, AMFCF staff have been working to establish an ecosystem with a species composition similar to that of Devils Hole, with the focus on building a self-sustaining population of Devils Hole pupfish. Facility staff work with partners from the National Park Service to collect eggs, aquatic invertebrates, and algae directly from Devils Hole on a monthly basis. Devils Hole pupfish eggs are incubated until they hatch, then juveniles are raised in aquaria and stocked in the refuge tank as young adults.
AMFCF operations are closely coordinated among three U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service programs and with a wide range of partners including the National Park Service and Nevada Department of Wildlife.
Please check back soon for more information about the captive population of Devils Hole pupfish and our work at the AMFCF.
**The AMFCF is not open to the public**
