Payson Roundup

BUBBLING PONDS — The intriguing “Native Fish Cam” at the Bubbling Ponds Fish Hatchery operated by the Arizona Game and Fish Department has been honored with Earth Cam’s Top 10 Cam award.

“We have installed an underwater camera at our Bubbling Ponds Fish Hatchery near Sedona, which is where we raise unique native fish like the endangered humpback chub that is found in the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon,” said Brian Ference, the Web master for Game and Fish.

For a journey below the surface to see these native fish that are uniquely adapted to aquatic habitats in the Southwest, simply click on http://www.azgfd.gov/fishcam or just visit the department’s Web site at www.azgfd.gov.

The fish cam is routinely moved, so at any time you might see Colorado pikeminnow (that can reach up to 100 pounds), roundtail chub (found in Fossil Creek), razorback sucker, bonytail chub, and many other native fish species, most of which are endangered. The goal of the Bubbling Ponds Fish Hatchery, which is adjacent to the Page Springs Fish Hatchery in Cornville is to propagate these fish for reintroduction and repatriation projects.