If you are planning to fish at Flaming Gorge Reservoir or Pelican Lake, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is requesting the harvest of specific fish species that are negatively impacting the fishery. “Historically, anglers used to harvest more fish, which would help keep fish numbers lower and ensure that the food supply for the fish at any given waterbody was shared with a smaller number of individual fish,” shares DWR Sportfish Coordinator Trina Hedrick. “But now, more anglers prefer to participate in catch-and-release fishing, which leaves more fish in the system and increases competition for limited resources. Each lake or reservoir has a maximum number of fish it can sustain. When the waterbody exceeds that, you’ll eventually see an overabundance of skinny, smaller fish. We tend to think of reservoirs as having endless resources, but really, they are just giant fish bowls, and anyone who takes care of an aquarium can tell you that too many fish can have negative impacts.” Wildlife officials ask anglers to prioritize catching small lake trout at Flaming Gorge and carp at Pelican Lake. For more information, visit wildlife.utah.gov.
