If You Catch This Fish In Utah Waters, KILL IT Immediately!
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) says an invasive fish was caught at a popular reservoir in the last 8 months, and they suspect it was illegally brought there from a different location. Who keeps dropping their fish in ponds, lakes and reservoirs? Do they know its illegal?
The DWR said it was contacted by an angler who caught a walleye in December 2023 at Strawberry Reservoir in Wasatch County, Utah. The DWR is offering a $5000 reward to anyone with information that leads to the conviction of whoever illegally introduced the walleye to Strawberry Reservoir.
Not all fresh water lakes or reservoirs are off limits for walleye.
Places you can normally find walleye in Utah: 1. Lake Powell 2. Willard Bay Reservoir 3. Starvation Reservoir. Moving fish around takes time and is illegal. The illegally introduced fish can take over and kill other species of fish off.
The DWR is asking anglers to report and sighting or catch of a walleye (or any other illegally introduced fish) in hopes to save the delicate ecosystem at Strawberry Reservoir. “Walleye could easily disrupt our ability to manage the current trout and salmon populations at Strawberry Reservoir through competition and direct predation as a predator fish,” said Alan Ward, a DWR fisheries biologist. “We are worried that the actions of one selfish angler could damage the years it took to build this fishery into something that the majority of the public want.”- Quotes obtained from Fox13now.com
And if damaging the ecosystem isn't enough of a reason to be careful, the DWR is reminding anglers that moving live fish from one body of water to another is a potential class-A misdemeanor. It's also illegal to take fish home alive or dump aquarium fish into natural bodies of water.
If you catch a walleye at Strawberry Reservoir, kill it immediately and report it to the DWR by calling 800-662-3337. They also want you to take photos of the fish and note the GPS coordinates. If you spot other invasive fish species or see someone illegally relocating fish, make sure to call the DWR right away.
