Help Protect Your Favorite Fisheries
Don’t ditch or dump fish where they don’t belong — you could destroy a place you love!
Everyone enjoys fishing close to home. It’s a big problem, though, when anglers illegally move fish from one waterbody to another, attempting to introduce a preferred species into a nearby lake or reservoir.
Catastrophic impacts
Over the past decade, several Utah fisheries have been damaged by anglers who selfishly stocked their favorite species. The movement of fish—no matter how well-intentioned— can have catastrophic impacts on a fishery. To learn about the consequences of releasing unwanted aquatic pets into the wild, visit the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Don’t Ditch page.
The illegal movement of walleye, northern pike, yellow perch, smallmouth bass and even unwanted pet goldfish have all caused the collapse of fisheries in Utah.
Additionally, the use of live bait fish (such as Utah chub) has caused other fisheries— once renowned for their quality sportfishing—to decline as invasive nuisance fish species outcompeted the sportfish.
Leave it to the professionals
It takes careful planning and years of training to understand how to successfully maintain the balance of fish species in a lake or reservoir.
If there’s a species you want to see in one of your favorite public waterways, please contact your local fisheries biologist to share your suggestion.
We are striving to meet the wants and needs of Utah’s anglers, and we are eager to consider—whenever possible—managing with new species and expanding the diversity of our fisheries.
We are listening and hope you’ll let us know what you want to see in your favorite ponds, lakes and reservoirs.
Don’t intentionally move a species or ditch your unwanted pet fish in Utah’s public waterways. When it comes to moving fish, please leave it to the professionals.
Report fish and wildlife crimes
As an angler, you’re the first line of defense for your favorite fisheries. If you witness an in-progress wildlife violation— or you’re aware of a previously committed wildlife crime—report it as soon as possible. Send a text to 847411, call our hotline at 800-662-3337 or submit a tip through the DWR Law Enforcement app.
Please contact our conservation officers if you see someone who:
- Keeps more fish than the daily limit allows
- Moves live fish or crayfish into a waterbody
- Leaves a waterbody with live fish or crayfish
- Is towing or transporting a boat with attached mussels
All of these activities are illegal and could result in an angler:
- Losing the right to fish in Utah and other states
- Being held financially liable for the damage to a fishery
The Division appreciates your efforts to help protect the places you love to boat and fish.
Resetting for success
In recent years, we’ve used the following tactics to remove unwanted fish populations that anglers illegally introduced:
Chemical treatment of fish populations in reservoirs and streams
Mechanical removal of unwanted fish using electricity, nets and seines
The introduction of predatory fish species to provide biological control
Millions of dollars and thousands of hours have been spent to reclaim once-great Utah fisheries. For example, at places like Scofield and Strawberry reservoirs, we stock and use large predatory fish to keep nuisance baitfish at bay.
All of these efforts are paying off. Larger predators not only control nuisance fish, they provide trophy fishing opportunities for anglers.
Fish populations reestablished after chemical treatments are giving anglers the diversity of fishing opportunities they desire.
How you can help
With your help and input, our fisheries managers are working to create highly satisfying fishing opportunities and to examine whether Utah’s fisheries are meeting your needs.
We are adapting our management approaches, whenever possible, to make fishing better and ensure that anglers don’t feel the need to move fish illegally.
You don’t want to see a chemical treatment at your favorite fishery—especially because of someone else’s selfishness. You are truly the best line of defense against illegal fish stocking.
If you know that someone has placed fish in a waterbody illegally, please text our officers at 847411, call the Utah Turn-in-a-Poacher (UTiP) hotline at 800-662-3337 or use the UTDWR law enforcement app.
