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DWR to treat lake where illegally dumped pet goldfish have started to take over

Posted at 8:07 PM, Oct 05, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-06 18:30:36-04

PAYSON, Utah — Biologists with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) said they will begin treatments on a Payson lake to remove goldfish, that were apparently dumped there illegally.

Chris Crockett, Regional Aquatics Manager for the DWR, said the fish were pets of someone who put them in Maple Lake. Over the years, the fish multiplied and began to compete against native trout for food.

“The goldfish are eating the native plants and reducing the lake’s water quality by stirring up sediment. None of those things are good for the health of the lake,” Crockett said.

Biologists with the DWR will use rotenone, a type of piscicide, and pesticide, to attempt to remove the goldfish from the lake.