Cui-ui facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cui-ui |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification |
The cui-ui (Chasmistes cujus) is a large sucker fish. It is a special type of fish found only in Pyramid Lake in northwestern Nevada. Long ago, it also lived in Winnemucca Lake, but that lake dried up.
Cui-ui fish mostly eat tiny living things called zooplankton. They might also eat very small algae and diatoms. Male cui-ui can grow to about 53 centimeters (21 inches) long and weigh 1.6 kilograms (3.5 pounds). Females are larger, reaching about 64 centimeters (25 inches) and 2.7 kilograms (6 pounds). These fish can live for about forty years. However, they don't start having their own babies until they are at least eight years old. The cui-ui is an endangered species, meaning there are not many left. It is one of the last fish of its kind.
The number of cui-ui fish is slowly getting better. In 1993, there were over a million of them! This is thanks to groups like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. They helped study the Truckee River where the fish lay their eggs. The Nevada Department of Environmental Protection and EPA also worked to protect the fish. Even though numbers are improving, the cui-ui is still endangered. This is because in some years, especially in the 1970s and 1980s, almost no baby fish survived. This was due to bad water quality and low water flow in the Truckee River.
But there is hope for the cui-ui! There is a plan to help them recover. This plan is based on understanding the water quality of Pyramid Lake and the Truckee River better. The U.S. Congress has also agreed to a protection plan.
Contents
Pyramid Lake's Water Quality
Pyramid Lake is a very important home for the cui-ui. Before a dam called Derby Dam was built, it was the second largest natural lake in the western U.S. People have studied the lake's water quality for many years. A big study started in the mid-1980s. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency led this work. They created a special computer model to understand how water moves and changes in the Truckee River area. This area covers about 3,120 square miles (8,080 square kilometers).
This model helped scientists understand how things like nitrogen and oxygen affect the water. It also helped them make choices to improve the water quality in Pyramid Lake. Better water quality helps all the living things in the lake, including the cui-ui. The model was also good for checking the temperature of the Truckee River. Cui-ui often swim upstream to lay their eggs. Their tiny baby fish are very sensitive to warm river temperatures.
How Cui-ui Fish Lay Eggs
The cui-ui fish are special because they swim from the lake up the Truckee River to lay their eggs. They usually try to do this in mid-April. This journey is called a "spawning run." If there isn't enough water flowing in the river, the cui-ui might try to lay their eggs in Pyramid Lake. But this usually doesn't work well because the lake water is too salty for their eggs.
To help the fish, water is released from the Boca and Stampede reservoirs at certain times. This helps make sure there is enough water in the Truckee River for the cui-ui to swim upstream. However, in years with little rain, this water might be saved for cities like Reno. Low and warm water flows at the Truckee River delta make it hard for adult fish to swim up.
The Paiute nation runs several fish hatcheries. These hatcheries help raise baby cui-ui fish. This makes sure that even if the fish have trouble spawning in the wild, the cui-ui population will still survive. These efforts have really helped increase the number of cui-ui fish. But they are still listed as an endangered species.
The Paiute Tribe and Cui-ui Fish
The Pyramid Lake band of the Northern Paiute tribe called themselves the "Cuiyui Ticutta." This means "cui-ui eaters." The cui-ui fish, along with the Lahontan cutthroat trout, were a very important food source for the Cuiyui Tikutta. Other Paiute groups would also come to Pyramid Lake to share in the fish harvest during the spring when the cui-ui laid their eggs.
After European Americans settled in western Nevada in the 1860s, many Cuiyui Ticutta earned money by selling fish. However, the European Americans usually liked trout more than cui-ui. Cui-ui fish were still important for the Paiute people to feed themselves. This was true even though the Bureau of Indian Affairs tried to get them to farm instead of fish.
In 1905, the Derby Dam was built. This dam took away a lot of the Truckee River's water. Because of this, the fish in Pyramid Lake became much harder to find. By 1930, there weren't enough fish to even feed the Paiute people. Today, things have gotten better for the cui-ui. But now, the fish are protected for their importance to nature and culture, not as a food source.
Images for kids
-
Pyramid Lake is the only location cui-ui are found.
See also
In Spanish: Chasmistes cujus para niños
