Connect with us

Utah

Most of Utah is in drought. How will that impact fishing this summer?

Published

on

Most of Utah is in drought. How will that impact fishing this summer?


Utah’s reservoir system remains about 86% full, but some reservoirs aren’t nearly as full as they were this time a year ago.

Upper and Lower Enterprise reservoirs near Enterprise, Washington County, for example, are already down to 30% and 36%, respectively, according to state data. The Upper Enterprise Reservoir level is approximately 40 percentage points below its level last June.

State wildlife officials also increased the daily fishing limit at Crouse Reservoir in Uintah County last month when its levels dropped to 20% of capacity, meaning that the reservoir could run dry. With drought in place and a poor spring runoff, other ponds, lakes and small reservoirs across the state could experience similar problems this year, which could reduce fishing opportunities or even access at certain ramps.

It could also have an impact on fish, which is why Utah Division of Wildlife Resources officials are reminding anglers about the impacts of drought in fishing as water conditions inch closer to what the state experienced between 2020 and 2022.

Advertisement

Lower water levels cause bodies of water to warm up faster, which reduces the amount of oxygen in the water, says Trina Hedrick, the division’s sportfish coordinator. That can create all sorts of problems for the fish in the water.

“The combination of high temperatures and low oxygen can stress many coldwater fish species — like trout — which causes poor growth and disease,” she said in a statement. “Fish can also die when temperatures are too warm or the oxygen levels get too low.”

It’s why division allowed anglers to catch more fish at Crouse Reservoir, but the agency expects that bodies of water across southern Utah are most likely to have these types of impacts this year.

As for catching and releasing species, division experts recommend that anglers fish closer to dawn or dusk, when the temperatures are cooler. They also recommend that people release the fish in a deeper part of the pond, lake or reservoir they were caught in because the water is often cooler there, and they’re more likely to survive.

“Basically, try not to fish near little coves that have shallow, stagnant warm water,” Hedrick said.

Advertisement

The division urges anglers to take other steps to decrease stress. These include:

  • Use single hooks on lures and bend down their barbs for easy release.
  • Limit as much time fighting a fish while reeling it in, as well as time handling the fish. Use rubber or coated nylon nets to protect a fish’s slime layer and fins.
  • Use forceps or needle-nosed pliers to remove a hook quickly. Don’t pull on the line if the fish is deeply hooked. Instead, cut the line as close to the hook as possible.
  • Allow the fish to recover in the net before releasing it.
  • Gently move a finish back and forth if it doesn’t stay upright when you release it. Consider harvesting it if it doesn’t, but only if it’s within the legal daily limit for that species.



Source link

Utah

Here’s who will lead Utah Valley University as its next president

Published

on

Here’s who will lead Utah Valley University as its next president


Jon Anderson will be charged with moving the Orem school forward following the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on campus last year.

(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Incoming UVU President Jon Anderson poses for a photo with his family after an event announcing his selection at Utah Valley University in Orem on Friday, July 17, 2026.



Source link

Continue Reading

Utah

Beaver County residents set up thousands of sandbags ahead of flashfloods

Published

on

Beaver County residents set up thousands of sandbags ahead of flashfloods


BEAVER COUNTY, Utah — A massive community effort is underway as volunteers and Beaver County crews distribute thousands of sandbags to protect homes from the potential path of floodwaters.

After the Cottonwood Fires, residents have been waiting for weeks for relief to come in the form of rain, though officials now warn it may come all at once with an increased risk of flooding and debris flow.

Emergency Service Director Les Whitney believes that the fire has left plenty of debris to bring trouble for residents.

“We got a lot of water. We’re bringing debris with it, so tree branches, tree limbs, logs, lots of different size firewood, and that’s all in the creeks. We’re worried about that plugging up our bridges and stuff, so we have heavy equipment and excavators located in strategic places so that we can keep those bridges open,” said Whitney.

Advertisement

An estimated 140 homes and condominiums were spared from the flames, but remain in the paths of floodwaters.

Residents can also pick up sandbags at the Beaver County Sheriff’s Office or at the Beaver County Rodeo Fairgrounds.





Source link

Continue Reading

Utah

Utah man arrested again for allegedly abusing dog twice in three months

Published

on

Utah man arrested again for allegedly abusing dog twice in three months


EAGLE MOUNTAIN — An Eagle Mountain man currently on pretrial release in 4th District Court who is accused of abusing his dog has been arrested again for allegedly punching the same animal.

Keith Reaves Davis, 43, was booked into the Utah County Jail on Wednesday for investigation of aggravated cruelty to an animal.

Utah County sheriff’s deputies were called Wednesday afternoon to a grocery store on a report that a man was beating his dog after it had gotten off its leash and was stopped by a bystander, according to a police booking affidavit.

“I reviewed security camera footage from the grocery store, and an individual matching the description of the suspect was seen holding the dog in the air by one paw and repeatedly striking the dog on the right hind leg area. I observed the male strike the dog several times before dropping the dog from approximately 1-2 feet. The strikes appeared to be as hard as the male could hit,” the arresting deputy wrote in the affidavit. “The dog did not cry out or whimper as if the dog was accustomed to the abuse.”

Advertisement

When questioned, Davis “admitted to striking the dog because it was not behaving,” the affidavit states.

An animal control officer who responded to the scene to take custody of the dog noted it was the same dog he had taken from Davis exactly three months earlier during another animal abuse investigation.

In that case, Davis was charged in 4th District Court with aggravated cruelty to an animal, a class A misdemeanor; and public intoxication, a class C misdemeanor, after deputies received a tip from a neighbor that a dog was being abused at Davis’ home, according to charging documents. When questioned, Davis “acknowledged hitting his dog as punishment,” the charges state.

Deputies also reviewed videos that the neighbor had filmed. The neighbor told investigators “there was blood from the dog on the ground of the garage and (the neighbor) can hear the dog screaming as if it’s being hurt. Deputies got the videos from the (neighbor) and you can hear very loudly the dog screaming and crying with a lot of loud banging noises. In one of the videos, you can hear the dog sounding like it is being choked by a collar and is grasping for air,” a police booking affidavit states.

Davis’ next court hearing in the April case is scheduled for July 28.

Advertisement

In their latest booking report, sheriff’s deputies note that they “believe further harm will be inflicted on this dog if it is released back to the male a second time,” and have recommended the dog not be returned to Davis.

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending