Fishing Forum

Thursday, June 16, 2005 - 12:00 AM [url "http://www.harktheherald.com/print.php?sid=57475"][/url] | [url "http://www.harktheherald.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Recommend_Us&file=index&req=FriendSend&sid=57475"][/url]

Endangered fish find new home in Utah Lake

Caleb Warnock DAILY HERALD


More than 8,500 endangered June sucker have been added to Utah Lake.
The fish have been moved here from Red Butte Reservoir in Salt Lake County over the past six weeks in a special truck designed for fish transport, said Krissy Wilson, wildlife biologist with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
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The last fish will be trucked in this week, she said.
The fish are all at least 8 inches long and 6 to 7 years old, said Reed Harris of the June Sucker Recovery Program. They were stocked in Red Butte several years ago as a so-called back-up population, insurance in case the last remaining wild June sucker in Utah Lake die out.
June sucker occur naturally nowhere else in the world. After a decade of study, experts believe there are as few as 300 adult wild June sucker left.
Red Butte Reservoir is being drained to allow a $6 million seismic upgrade of its dam. Built in 1930, the reservoir is located at the base of Red Butte Canyon, 1.5 miles east of the University of Utah.
In addition to needing seismic work, nonnative crayfish were illegally introduced into the reservoir in recent years.
"The crayfish population has just exploded," Wilson said. "They've changed the entire ecosystem of Red Butte, so we want to fix the dam and get rid of the crayfish."
The crayfish and June sucker were removed from Red Butte at the same time. Adult June sucker were marked by inserting a plastic tag into the dorsal fin of each with a needle gun. The tag allows scientists to keep the Red Butte fish separate from existing wild June sucker in Utah Lake for study purposes, said Harris.
"We hope they add to the spawning run in the Provo River," he said. No young June sucker have lived to sexual maturity in Utah Lake for decades, despite introduction of thousands of hatchery-raised fish in recent years.
Only June sucker at least 8 inches long were brought to Utah Lake from Red Butte because they are large enough to avoid predation, Harris said.
About 1,500 smaller June sucker were taken from Red Butte to Ensign Ponds in northwest Box Elder County, said Wilson. When they reach 8 inches, they will be taken back to Red Butte or released into Utah Lake.
In the 1800s, Utah Lake was home to at least six native species of fish. Today, the June sucker and the Utah sucker are the only two remaining.
In 1986, the federal government named the June sucker an endangered species, allowing its habitat to be protected by law. Soon thereafter, nine water-user and wildlife groups with interest in Deer Creek Reservoir formed a 40-year, $40 million plan to save the fish, called the June Sucker Recovery Implementation Program. This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A1.
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[#505000]Several years for a June Sucker to grow 8 inches?!?!?!?!?!?!?! I've said it before I'll say it again. It sounds like God wants this fish to die!!!![/#505000]
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[#505000]Can anyone point out a REALLY good reason to pour $40 million into this fish??? Not just the drivel about it being to see a speicies go extinct.[/#505000]
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It's fellow fish. enough said.
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The only reason, good or bad, is that The Federal Endangered Species Act makes it the law. Unfortunately, that means heavy restrictions from the feds, and possible penalties if we let it go extinct. On the other hand, it does pour a few million bucks in federal money into Utah Lake, including getting rid of the carp so that's not all bad.

The June Sucker just eats plankton it's whole life, even as a large adult. No wonder it grows so slowly, eating the slime and detritus out of the water. What a sucker!
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I hope the Walleye and Catfish dont choke on one of those fish tags.
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Do you think it was any coincidence that when I went down there on Tues. at lunch to the Provo to the June Sucker egg taking station that there were two guys there walleye fishing and they had just caught one as I walked up? I can't help but wonder if those walleye's guts weren't full o' June Sucker delights![cool]
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Feeding time for the walleyes!They can eat 8 inch suckers what are they thinking? []
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what are they thinking? [][/reply]

this is exactly the type of question that you fellers need to find out. But, don't look for answers on an internet forum (I heard from a friend, who knows a guy, who read on the internet, about this other guy, who saw two other fellers, that said they talked to a seasonal creel clerk, who overheard a conversation in the urinal about the reason they are stocking June Suckers.....)


Maybe it's time for a few of you guys that seem to think that this is a waste of resources to make a phone call to Krissy Wilson and find out the facts....then, you'll know exactly [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][size 1][/size][/font]

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what are they thinking? [/reply]
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PBH

I have talked to the biologist in charge of this program and there main reason is that they might go extinct. And they might have the cure for cancer in them or someother ailment. Well my question is if they have the cure for cancer how many people are a few thousand June Suckers going to cure? And since there are so few the price for treatment would be so high only the super rich could afford it anyways. And since there protected how are we going to find out about these cures. Cant use any for research.

Why I think that these efforts are noble lets be realistic. The June Suckers habitat has changed so drastically that they are doomed. To save this fish in Utah Lake I believe they would have to poison the whole system. This would remove the carp, walleye, catfish, bass etc that prey on them. This could be accomplished by diking off part of the lake with a tributary. Then poisoning only tis portion of the water system. Anything short of this I feel is a waste of money.

John
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C'mon Powerbait, lighten up on us. The body of the article Cat Man put up explains quite adequately why they are putting these fish in Utah Lake now. (Red Butte reservoir needed to be drained for seismic repairs and also, the biologists want to attempt to eradicate a bumper crop of crayfish in the reservoir at the same time) I think some guys are just expressing incredulity with the entire project, which is their right. Personally, the planting of these fish (which are at least 8 inches, but mostly larger) has a better chance of some success than the planting of the 4-6 inchers last month, which were undoubtedly a nice snack for the 'eyes.

In talking to the biologists last year at the open house meetings, it is clear that THEY are very aware that these plantings are only stop-gap measures and that any real recovery will only occur once the habitat is improved and the carp reduced. (which go hand-in-hand). So maybe we need to lighten up on them too. As for the project at large, congress, thru the ESA, requires it, so if one doesn't like what is being done, then a letter to your senator and representative is in order. Personally, the habitat improvements the project will require are going to help all the fish species at Utah lake, so I think at the end of the day, it will be a good thing, even if there are a few bumps in the road.
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Nice reply and good points, Doggone.
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They need to build an on-lake hatchery for these things. This would solve a lot of trouble!
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