Fisheries Research in El Ocote National Forest, Mexico

To provide funds for Rebecca Quinones to allocate a portion of her time to work with the El Ocote National Forest in Mexico on fisheries research, and ultimately to provide leadership on preparing a restoration strategy for native fish species. Rebecca currently works as a fisheries biologist for the Klamath National Forest in Northern California. The Klamath Forest has a partnership with the Mexican public forest (El Ocote) and through this partnership provides ongoing technical assistance and guidance to El Ocote, which is minimally staffed and underfunded. The Klamath Forest sought funds to support Rebecca's time to assist El Ocote staff develop fisheries conservation plans. Rivers in El Ocote have been subjected to a non-native, invasive fish species (Oreochromis spp., or tilapia) whose effects on native habitat are unknown. Rebecca's inventory will set a critical baseline against which to monitor fish populations over time. She will also take the lead on training El Ocote staff and volunteers in proper ongoing monitoring techniques and will create management and restoration plans for implementation by El Ocote.