New school fish hatchery program in Vernal helps endangered razorback suckers

Vernal — When Uintah High School began construction on a new agriculture building, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and other partners with the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program talked to school administrators about adding an in-class fish hatchery as part of the building update. Thursday, a group of students and biologists from various agencies were able to release almost 140 endangered razorback suckers raised at the school into the Colorado River.

The razorback sucker is an easily recognizable brownish-green fish with a bony hump on its back that is only found in the Colorado River and its tributaries — nowhere else in the world. When fully mature, this fish can reach lengths of up to 3.5 feet and live more than 40 years.

Changes in historic river flows and the introduction of nonnative predator fish caused a huge population decline for the razorback sucker, and by 1988, the adult population of razorback suckers in the Green River was estimated at 978 and declining fast. It was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 1991.

"The recovery of the razorback sucker began with the establishment of the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program in 1988," DWR Recovery Programs Director Sarah Seegert said. "The program is a collaborative effort among 14 agencies that have identified ways to help the fish species recover. The recovery program collected some of the remaining wild adults and began raising new fish in hatcheries to help bolster the population. This new school hatchery is another important step in helping with the recovery of razorback suckers, and also with connecting the local community and students with hands-on conservation of this native species."

Construction on the new fish hatchery facility at Uintah High School began in 2022. The system includes circular tanks with a recirculating water system, which primarily reuses the room-temperature water. The aquaculture equipment was installed during the fall of 2024, and 25 razorback suckers were transported from hatcheries in the Ouray National Fish Hatchery facilities in Randlett, Utah and Grand Valley, Colorado to the school hatchery system in December. An additional 200 fish were stocked in the hatchery on Feb. 4, 2025.

"This new facility is the only school hatchery that helps raise threatened and endangered fish species in Utah," Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program Associate Director Tildon Jones said. "Not many people know about our fish hatcheries in the area, so this new program at Uintah High School will help educate students about aquatic conservation and will provide that hands-on experience that may spark a love for conservation that leads to a future career in this important work. It's unique because these students get high school credit with this program as well, as part of the Utah Career and Technical Education program."

The program is a collaboration between the partners of the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program, with the DWR providing the certificate of registration for the fish. The Uintah High School hatchery system has a capacity of 300 fish, which will typically be stocked into the hatchery in the fall where they will be raised by the students until they are big enough to release the following spring.

"Our students and National FFA Organization members are excited about this unique opportunity," Uintah High School Agriculture Sciences Instructor and FFA Advisor David Wilson said. "We hope to continue this program for years to come, expanding our involvement and even incorporating research projects with the fish. This initiative aligns well with our school's mission, the goals of the National FFA Organization, and the students' Supervised Agricultural Experience programs."

Learn more about the efforts to recover the razorback sucker and other fish species in the Colorado River Basin on the DWR Wild podcast.