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 webmaster for Game and Fish.

For a journey below the surface to see these amazing 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 Native 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 just downstream from Sedona along Oak Creek, is to propagate these fish for reintroduction and repatriation projects.

The Bubbling Ponds fish hatchery has 13 large ponds as well as numerous 6-foot diameter circular fiberglass tanks. The ponds are used for rearing the large fish native to the Colorado River and the fiberglass tanks are used for research and rearing small endangered fishes such as spikedace that were once found throughout the Verde River.

Once you are viewing the Native Fish Cam, you will also find accompanying information on this state’s amazing native fish species that will intrigue and enchant you. Most native fish are either imperiled or extirpated, but others — such as the Apache trout — have encouraging comeback stories. Native fish hatcheries such as this one typically play a crucial role in recovery efforts.

This intriguing Fish Cam is just another in a series of improvements the Game and Fish Department has made to connect or re-connect with outdoor enthusiasts, but to also reach and enthuse new audiences.

The department has redesigned and revamped most of its E-news products to make them more cyberspace reader friendly, but has also become a major player in the world of outdoor blogging. “Our Fishing Blog has become very popular, with lots of anglers chattering it up, posting pictures, and sharing how-to or where-to information,” Ference said.

There is also a online interactive map showing all the fishing lakes, rivers and streams of the state, with lots of detailed information on each one. “In the first five months of operation, this interactive fishing map registered a half-million hits,” Ference pointed out.

The department’s online videos, such as its award-winning series on PBS called “Arizona Wildlife Views,” have exceeded the million-viewer mark.

Recently, the quail (the animal depicted on the department’s logo) recently entered the Twitter world as well – you can now witness the quail twittering just about every day.  You can also visit the Quail on Facebook.