Story at a glance
- The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources replenished hundreds of lakes last week with thousands of fish, and a now-viral video captured the process.
- The video shows low-flying planes spraying the lakes with blasts of small fish that range from 1 to 3 inches in length.
- Aerial fish stocking has been a common stocking method since the 1950s.
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources replenished hundreds of lakes last week with thousands of fish, and a now-viral video captures the process.
The video shows low-flying planes spraying the lakes with blasts of small fish that range from 1 to 3 inches in length. Each airplane can hold hundreds of pounds of water and has the capacity to carry up to 35,000 fish, according to the agency.
The department said that the method produces a high survival rate for the fish, adding that it has been a commonly used practice in Utah since the 1950s.
WHEN FISH FLY.
No, it’s not hyperbole. It’s the time of year when we stock high-elevation lakes aerially. Because the fish are small and released along with water, they easily survive their airplane drop without injury. See the entire video: https://t.co/gfiVvrCGMl pic.twitter.com/afBNlTCg21
— UtahDWR (@UtahDWR) July 9, 2021
Division biologist Matt McKell wrote that the now-standard practice was preceded by fish-stocking maneuvers where “horses were loaded with metal milk cans filled with water and fish, and then packed to remote areas.”
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“Depending on the area and the condition of roads or trails, fish are also transported to remote areas on foot with buckets or a backpack, or by four-wheeler,” McKell wrote.
“Horses are still used at times to get fish into hard-to-reach places,” the biologist added.
The Boulder Mountain region lakes stocked by aerial methods are largely inaccessible by other means, according to the agency.
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