Officials Taking Action To Remove Goldfish From Lake In Payson Canyon
Oct 5, 2018, 1:26 PM | Updated: 1:31 pm
Goldfish are damaging the ecosystem at Maple Lake and ruining the fishery. The fish were placed in the lake illegally by those who no longer wanted them as pets.
PAYSON, Utah – The Division of Wildlife Resources is asking the public to stop putting goldfish into Maple Lake.
They even have a slogan: “Don’t ditch a fish!”
Dropping the water level at Maple Lake will help ensure the rotenone treatment is successful. It will also give water users a chance to inpect the dam.
These one-time pets that were placed into the lake, located in Payson Canyon, have multiplied over the past few years, according to a media release from the DWR.
The goldfish population has grown so large that it’s now competing with the trout in the lake for food.
In mid October, DWR biologists will use the piscicide rotenone — a chemical used to eliminate a dominant species of fish — to remove goldfish that were placed in the lake illegally.
The goldfish dominating the trout isn’t the only issue at hand.
“The goldfish are eating the native plants and reducing the lake’s water quality by stirring up sediment,” said Chris Crockett, regional aquatics manager for the DWR. “None of those things are good for the health of the lake.”
Officials want to remind the public: transporting and releasing live fish into ponds, lakes and streams is illegal. They urge the public to go to wildlife.utah.gov/dont-ditch to report violations and to learn more information on disposing aquarium fish.
Releasing aquarium fish is illegal in Utah. Releasing these fish damages ecosystems and ruins fisheries.
