HYRUM – Community ponds in Northern Utah are welcoming tens of thousands of new residents thanks in part to efforts from the Division of Wildlife Resources and local fish hatcheries.
Some 18,000 rainbow trout were transported last week from the Logan Fish Hatchery and deposited in the Hyrum Reservoir.
“It adds a resource to the reservoir and adds an opportunity for fishermen to fish,” according to Tyler White, fish culturalist for the State of Utah.
“The process all starts at the Mantua Fish Hatchery where we spawn the fish,” said White. “We strip the eggs from the females, then we add milt from the males.”
Once the eggs are fertilized, White said they are transported to Logan where they will spend about a year growing in that hatchery.
White said the trout arrived at Hyrum Reservoir measuring about 8 inches in length and could grow up to 10 pounds. However, a number of the fish didn’t survive more than their first hour after being dumped in the water. Those that didn’t immediately swim out to deeper water became food for a flock of seagulls hovering over the fish and looking for an easy meal.
“The main thing is to create opportunity for fishermen,” said White. “We are also feeding the seagulls, although that’s not our intended goal. There’s eagles around, raccoons, coyotes, there’s all sorts of different things that will eat these fish if they get the opportunity.”
Community ponds in Weber, Davis and Box Elder counties were also stocked with rainbow trout this fall.
Wouldn’t it make sense to “plant” the fish in deeper water to begin with?
SOOOO,
Just use the 12guage loud,. Morter like noise shell like
farmers use to keep flocks of starlings/blackbirds at bay