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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah wildlife officials are increasing the number of fish people can catch per day at four spots in the state as they prepare for a pair of projects that will otherwise kill off the fish.
The changes announced by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources on Wednesday are:
- Joe Lay Reservoir (Garfield County): The daily limit is increased from four trout to eight trout.
- North Creek (Garfield County): The daily limit is increased from four trout to eight trout.
- North Creek Reservoir (Garfield County): The daily limit is increased from four trout to eight trout.
- Spring Lake (Utah County): The daily limit is increased from two fish to eight fish, excluding carp, which has no limit.
The three locations in Garfield County are related to a rotenone treatment project that aims to remove nonnative trout that are threatening the habitat for native trout in the three bodies of water that will be treated.
Rotenone comes from the roots of a tropical bean that's considered lethal to fish but isn't considered lethal to people, pets or other wildlife in low quantities, which the division proposes using. State wildlife biologists have used this method to clear out invasive fish species in water habitats across the state in recent years.
After the end of the treatment, they plan to reintroduce Colorado River cutthroat trout to North Creek, which is an upstream tributary of the North Creek Reservoir. They also plan to stock Joe Lay Reservoir with sterile brook trout this summer. The increased daily limit for trout caught will remain eight at all three places until Aug. 31.
Meanwhile, infrastructure repairs are slated for Spring Lake in Payson. City officials announced the project in January, which led to concerns about the 137 bird species that use the community pond. They still plan to drain it for needed repairs and cleaning; however, that hasn't happened and there are fish that anglers can still grab.
The new limit will remain in place until July 11. Once the project is complete, the division plans to restock the pond with rainbow trout, channel catfish, largemouth bass, bluegill and wiper.
Randy Oplinger, the sportfish coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, explains that the division prefers to increase daily fish limits ahead of projects like what's in store in Garfield and Utah counties so people can eat the fish rather than let them waste. It's the same tool they used last year for low bodies of water where fish survival rates were lower, due to the drought.
"We'd like anglers to be able to harvest more fish at these water bodies, so they aren't wasted," he said. "We hope people can get out and catch and keep a lot of these fish prior to the lake treatments or repairs."
The division outlined its fish stocking outlook earlier this week, which takes into account the possibility of lower reservoirs in some parts of the state. They plan to stock as many fish in bodies of water that balance the quality of fishing for anglers while also allowing for fish to survive without issues related to the drought.
