Students from Uintah High School joined with biologists from the Division of Wildlife Resources and other partners for an exciting event on Thursday within Dinosaur National Monument. The group met and released nearly 140 endangered razorback suckers into the Colorado River that the students raised in the new Uintah High in-class fish hatchery in the Agriculture building. The DWR announcement shared that construction on the new fish hatchery facility at Uintah High School began in 2022. The system includes circular tanks with a recirculating water system, which primarily reuses the room-temperature water. The aquaculture equipment was installed during the fall of 2024, and 25 razorback suckers were transported from hatcheries in the Ouray National Fish Hatchery facilities in Randlett and Grand Valley, Colorado to the school hatchery system in December. An additional 200 fish were stocked in the hatchery on February 4th. “This new facility is the only school hatchery that helps raise threatened and endangered fish species in Utah,” shares Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program Associate Director Tildon Jones. “This new program at Uintah High School will help educate students about aquatic conservation and will provide that hands-on experience that may spark a love for conservation that leads to a future career in this important work.” For the full announcement, visit wildlife.utah.gov.
