Visions of a Better Utah Lake

[doggonefishin]

In historic times, the vegetation that was present in the shallows of Utah lake were aquatic grasses. They are shallow rooted, and thrived in the shallow sediment, which is rich in nutrients and not affected by the limestone base. These grasses were where the sucker fry and minnows lived. (the trout too) The goal of the sucker recovery program is to try and return a portion of the lake to that condition. Quentupuni is correct that the grass roots held the sediment in place and minimized churning of the bottom into a milkshake as now happens. Removal of the carp is required to allow the grass to return as has been noted here. The proposals to place a dike in the lake also stem from this in that some biologists feel that carp removal in the entire lake is impossible, but a portion of the lake may be able to be controlled.
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