The discovery of fish released illegally in Utah waters is no small matter, according to the Division of Wildlife Resources. “Due to several endangered fish in the Colorado River, we partner with other agencies to ensure that our sportfish stocking does not interfere with the recovery of native fish,” shares DWR Sportfish Coordinator Trina Hedrick. “The stocking of sportfish in any drainages in the Colorado River Basin is therefore highly regulated.” ‘Bucket Biologists’ think introducing a fish to a new waterbody will help improve the fishing but this is seldom true. “Before we stock fish into a waterbody, we conduct extensive risk assessments to native species, perform disease testing, evaluate the compatibility of the new species with existing sportfish and assess angler preferences for that fishery,” explains Hedrick. “Please help our native fish species and maintain quality fishing in Utah by never dumping a fish or being a bucket biologist.” Call 1-800-662-3337 to report invasive fish or anyone illegally introducing fish into a waterbody or trying to relocate live fish.
