DWR stocks nearly 10 million fish in Utah waters

SALT LAKE CITY — Because of extreme drought, there isn’t a lot of water in many Utah streams, reservoirs and lakes. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean there will be a shortage of fish for anglers.

To combat the conditions, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources been proactive in helping more fish survive. There’s also hope that fishing will be enhanced and native fish populations will be boosted. The DWR stocked Utah waters with 9,616,203 fish — up from 8.2 million in 2020 and down from 10 million in 2019 — as a program to stock larger fish took place for the second year.

Fish are impacted by drought in a variety of ways. Lesser amounts of water heat up more quickly and warm water holds less oxygen than cooler condition The combination can , lead to disease and poor growth.

To assist in the drought response, the DWR stocked fewer fish in low waters and reallocated them to areas not impacted.

Utah waters have been stocked with fish since 1871. The state’s first hatcheries opened a few years later.

Utah now has 13 facilities.

“Our hatcheries are important because they provide the majority of the fish we stock in the state,” said

An initial version of this news release left rainbow trout off the list of fish that were stocked this year. Please include that in your coverage. The number of species stocked is still 16.

“Our hatcheries are important because they provide the majority of the fish we stock in the state,” said Craig Schaugaard of the DWR. “Stocking is a crucial management tool that we use to provide Utahns with the numbers and species of fish they desire. Stocking fish helps ensure that the public has a great fishing experience. It also helps in the recovery of threatened or endangered fish.”

The 2021 stocking included the Arctic grayling, black crappie, bonytail chub, brook trout,brown trout, channel catfish, cutthroat trout, June sucker, kokanee salmon, lake trout, largemouth bass, rainbow trout, splake, striped bass, tiger muskie and walleye.