Wildlife blog

What's the scoop on fish hatchery technology?

Details: Published: Monday, January 24, 2022, 8:00 am

An egg picker filters out the viable fish eggs that will fertilize from the bad eggs that can grow fungus and become harmful to the viable eggs

One of the most interesting parts of our job is how much we use technologies and equipment unique to — or specifically adapted for — fish culture.

What's new at the Lake Powell fishery?

Details: Published: Tuesday, December 28, 2021, 12:00 pm

Dip tank at Lake Powell (with a motor boat inside) for removing aquatic invasive species

Anglers at Lake Powell can catch a wide variety of warmwater fish species, including striped bass, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, catfish, walleye and bluegill. Here's a glimpse into what's new at Lake Powell this winter.

Getting outdoors is a gift that gives back all year long

Details: Published: Thursday, December 9, 2021, 9:00 am

Assortment of wrapped holiday gifts and wrapping materials

It's that time of year again — when we all scramble to find the perfect gifts for friends and loved ones during the holidays. What do you get for the person who has everything, and also loves a little outdoor adventure? We may be able to help.

Exciting fish culture projects at Fountain Green Fish Hatchery

Details: Published: Wednesday, November 17, 2021, 9:00 am

The Fountain Green egg isolation station, showing a shed with individual rooms

The Fountain Green Fish Hatchery is a hidden gem within the hatchery world. We are primarily a coldwater fish hatchery — producing rainbow, cutthroat and tiger trout — but we also have a warmwater fish program and Utah's only fish- and egg-isolation facilities.

A backcountry rescue with grit and gratitude

Details: Published: Friday, November 5, 2021, 12:00 pm

Rescue workers carrying Coy Kummer on an ATV

In this incident from mid-October, DWR officers responded to a distress call and carried a badly-injured young man, Coy Kummer, out of the backcountry.

Drought and our deer herds

Details: Published: Wednesday, October 20, 2021, 4:00 pm

Drought has been an ongoing event that's unfolded over multiple years across the West, and we've seen some of the worst of it here in Utah. A lot of people have asked me about how our deer herds are handling the current drought situation.

Top 5 reasons to work in fish culture

Details: Published: Monday, October 4, 2021, 9:00 am

When I started working in a fish hatchery, I was amazed (and a little overwhelmed at first) by all the different kinds of random, day-to-day projects.

The wonderfully weird world of mollusks

Details: Published: Wednesday, September 22, 2021, 9:00 am

Have you ever heard of animals named creeping ancylid, sub-globose snake pyrg, button sprite or the sluice snaggletooth? What about the fatmucket, narrow pigtoe or gumboot chiton (aka wandering meatloaf)? These are all mollusks.

A swell day fishing on the San Rafael

Details: Published: Tuesday, September 7, 2021, 4:00 pm

It is a scene any tried-and-true angler will find familiar: it's the night before a long-awaited fishing trip and I'm digging through an assortment of tackle boxes, organizing flies and lures, and wondering what offerings will work best. I consider my options and anticipate challenges. What fly should I start with, and what's my backup if plan A fails to produce fish? What critical equipment do I need to make sure to pack?

Where there's a will, there's a way

Details: Published: Friday, June 18, 2021, 10:00 am

"You are successful." Those long-awaited words were so exciting to read last spring after 10 years of trying to draw a limited-entry buck deer permit in the Book Cliffs. I was in a group with my brother, Corey, and we were both going hunting!