Devils Hole Pupfish Count Reaches 137, More Than Double Last Fall’s Total

DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK — November 7, 2026. Wildlife biologists counted 137 endangered Devils Hole pupfish during an October 10 survey, the National Park Service announced November 6. That is a notable increase for one of the rarest fish species on Earth.

How the population compares

The October count was nearly double the 77 fish observed in spring 2026 and more than twice the 69 recorded in fall 2025. Teams from the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service count fish along the shallow shelf and in the water-filled cavern, where the species exists naturally in just one small habitat.

Why the fish remain vulnerable

Earthquakes can create waves inside the cavern and strip algae from the limestone shelf, reducing a critical food source. Officials say 2025 earthquakes disturbed the site, and scientists monitored additional stress after an October 9, 2026, earthquake in Panama.

Recovery work

Conservation teams released 72 captive-raised pupfish into the habitat between March 2025 and February 2026 and supplied additional food while algae recovered. Scientists believe most of the fish observed in October hatched and grew in Devils Hole. The increase is encouraging but does not eliminate the species’ extinction risk, and continued monitoring is necessary.

Source: National Park Service announcement, November 6, 2026, via Eastern Sierra Now.

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