Water users protest river protection for silvery minnow.

Byline: Pete Herrera THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

FARMER VS. FISH

As a child, Isleta Pueblo resident Andy Padilla and his buddies knew how to turn a dry summer into a profitable one.

By July, when the Rio Grande, which runs through the pueblo, had been reduced to an occasional pool or two, Padilla and his friends would pluck silvery minnows from their shallow homes and sell the 2-inch fish two for a nickel.

These days, the stakes are much higher for both Padilla and the fish.

The Rio Grande silvery minnow is now an endangered species, and the campaign to save it has created another battleground for farmers and environmentalists.

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