WASATCH COUNTY, Utah — The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources says an invasive fish was recently caught at a popular reservoir, and they believe someone illegally brought the fish from another location.
The DWR said it was contacted by an angler who caught a walleye on Dec. 21 at Strawberry Reservoir. At this point, it's the only one they are aware of.
Officials said they believe the fish was released by someone into the reservoir — which, they remind the public, is both illegal and harmful.
The DWR says illegally introduced fish can prey on and out-compete native and endangered fish. They can also introduce diseases and negatively impact the water quality at the bodies of water where they're introduced.
Strawberry Reservoir is stocked with cutthroat trout, rainbow trout and kokanee salmon. The DWR said that based on surveys, these fish are preferred by most people who fish there.
“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.”
And if the potential for damaging the ecosystem isn't enough, the DWR is reminding anglers that it's a potential class-A misdemeanor to move live fish from one body of water to another. They said it's also illegal to take fish home alive or to dump aquarium fish into bodies of water.
Anyone who catches a walleye at Strawberry in the future is told to kill it immediately and report it to the DWR by calling 800-662-3337. They're also asked to take photos of the fish and take down the GPS coordinates. Anglers should also call the DWR if they find other invasive fish species in any body of water, or if they see someone illegally relocating fish.
