As the monsoons roll into the Valley, so does the humidity and mosquitoes. However, Salt River Project is hoping to combat mosquito-borne diseases with fish.
That’s right. SRP is releasing tiny mosquito fish into canals and laterals in hopes that they will make their way into ditches and other places where standing water is likely to occur.
The small fish are brought in from North Carolina and arrive in batches. They’re then distributed among several SRP canal sites and organically make their way into the lateral system, SRP explained.
"They're fish that are larvae-fores," SRP environment scientist Brian Moorhead said. "They like to eat mosquito larvae. They're very good at that job."
Since 2014, SRP has been discovering new ways to reduce the spreading of diseases transmitted by mosquitoes like the West Nile and Zika viruses. For more than a decade they’ve stocked 131 miles of canals across the Valley with Gambusia affinis fish — which eat mosquitoes and thrive on larvae.
SRP spokesman Jeff Lane said once the rain comes, the fish will start spreading throughout the canals.
"They definitely do their job of eating mosquito larvae and helping us control that," Lane said. "So it's less of a problem."
If you're seeing an influx of mosquitoes in your neighborhood, you can submit a complaint through the Maricopa County website.
