Dexter National Fish Hatchery & Technology Center

The Dexter National Fish Hatchery & Technology Center is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service facility dedicated to fish culture techniques for threatened and endangered fishes of the American Southwest. Located in Dexter, New Mexico, it is the only federal facility in the nation dedicated to studying and holding only threatened and endangered fish. Scientists at the Dexter facility perform life history studies and carefully analyze fish genetics while maintaining a refuge for 16 imperiled fish species. Dexter National Fish Hatchery was established in 1931, to satisfy demands for game fish throughout the Southwest. New laws brought changes to the hatchery in the 1970s.

On 1 January 2007, the Dexter National Fish Hatchery and Technology Center held 16 threatened and endangered species.

The station maintains a genetically diverse for each species. Fish are raised from these broodstocks with the intent of reintroducing them into their native habitat.

Close monitoring at the hatchery include developing propagation and culture techniques, conducting water quality data, diet and nutrition testing, life history studies, reproductive physiology and genetic management.

Dexter’s Conservation Genetics Laboratory is fully equipped for routine genetic analysis with modern equipment designed to generate genetic information from microsatellite markers, and DNA sequences. Dexter’s program of rearing threatened and endangered fish relies on this data to provide genetically appropriate fish for stocking, and to monitor the purity of 16 species of endangered fish that are held as refugium stocks.

Dexter’s future Conservation Genetics program includes the short-term goal of developing genetic baselines for all species cultured and maintained at Dexter. Genetic information will be used to develop strategies for ensuring that genetic diversity is maintained in captive stocks, and to avoid such pitfalls as domestication selection, or genetic drift.

Dexter’s long-term goals for the Conservation Genetics program is to use the laboratory to address genetic components of multi regional Recovery programs, and to aid in the accomplishment of the Southwest Regions Fisheries Program Strategic Plan goals. These objectives are attainable through the use of science and technology, by developing and applying genetic conservation principles to the management of species produced and maintained at Dexter, thereby increasing the success of resources conservation.

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