It was a big year for stocking fish in Utah waters. In 2021, the DWR stocked 9,616,203 fish into 615 local waterbodies, including many throughout the Uintah Basin. “That’s a total of 1,210,280 pounds of fish!” shares the Division of Wildlife Resources. “That was an increase from the 8.2 million fish stocked in 2020 and a decrease from the 10 million fish stocked in 2019. The DWR began stocking fewer, but larger, fish in 2019 to increase their survival rate. This year, due to the extreme drought, the DWR made a few more adjustments to fish stocking in Utah. Over time, the DWR expanded its fish hatchery operations.” There are now 13 facilities across Utah including the hatchery at Jones Hole. “Our hatcheries are important because they provide the majority of the fish we stock in the state,” Schaugaard said. “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. June suckers were recently downlisted from endangered to threatened under the Endangered Species Act because of recovery efforts, including stocking.”
