Commission to defer otter restoration

HOBBS, N.M. (AP) - The New Mexico Game Commission has decided to defer the release of otters into the Gila River until more information can be collected.

Conservationists say they're encouraged because Thursday's vote leaves open the possibility of reintroducing otters to the southwestern New Mexico river.

The commission is particularly interested in information on the potential effects otter reintroduction would have on endangered species in New Mexico and Arizona.

Otters have been reintroduced into the upper reaches of the Rio Grande watershed, but not the Gila.

After a change in New Mexico's administration, the state Game and Fish Department put the program on indefinite hold.

Donna Stevens with Upper Gila Watershed Alliance says scientific research suggests that otters could have a positive effect on the Gila ecosystem by helping to control nonnative fish and crayfish populations.