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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah wildlife officials are reminding people to not dump pet fish or any other fish that doesn’t belong in a specific body of water after they say they found species of fish consistent with illegal dumping at four reservoirs in the state earlier this year.
State wildlife biologists discovered green sunfish in Yearns Reservoir in Sanpete County, largemouth bass in Newcastle Reservoir in Iron County, redside shiners in Paragonah Reservoir in Iron County, and smallmouth bass in Settlement Canyon Reservoir in Tooele County during annual surveys conducted in the state, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources said Wednesday.
Randy Oplinger, the division’s sportfish coordinator, explains that illegal fish introduction “seldom improve fisheries,” which is why illegal fish dumping can lead to a class A misdemeanor charge.
State wildlife officials say it’s not just dumping pet fish that’s illegal; it’s also illegal to move live fish from one body of water to another.
Illegal fish species may prey on or outcompete other fish species in a body of water, including sportfish, native fish or endangered fish species. They may also introduce disease into the water’s ecosystem and can negatively impact water quality, according to the division.
The division even has an educational program devoted to the matter.
“Illegal introductions typically ruin fisheries and threaten the species that live there,” Oplinger said in a statement.
Utah wildlife biologists have, in recent years, conducted several projects to clear out invasive species that were introduced in a body of water. Many of these involve rotenone treatments, which are used to kill all the fish in a lake, stream or reservoir before native or sportfish species are reintroduced.
This outcome tends to be “very expensive and takes a very long time,” Oplinger said, which is why he says the best way to avoid this is to not illegally dump fish.
Anglers who come across invasive fish species, see others illegally introduce a fish into a body of water, or see someone trying to relocate live fish are encouraged to report it by calling 1-800-662-3337 or contacting their nearest Utah Division of Wildlife Resources office.
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Carter Williams is an award-winning reporter who covers general news, outdoors, history and sports for KSL.com.
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