A fish has been introduced into a Utah reservoir that could spell disaster for the entire ecosystem, and wildlife officials are blaming a “bucket biologist.”
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources recently discovered Utah chub in a body of water where the fish don’t naturally exist, meaning someone introduced them there, the agency said April 15 on Facebook.
Bucket biologists are people — sometimes anglers — who move fish from one body of water to another, officials said. If they accidentally do so by throwing leftover live bait into the water or intentionally move their preferred species of fish to a lake or pond that is more convenient or closer to them — the practice is illegal in Utah.
It can destroy ecosystems by introducing disease and disrupting the delicate balance of species within them.
“Illegally introduced fish have the potential to outcompete or prey on other fish species, including native fish, sportfish and endangered fish,” officials said. “Bucket biology can also introduce disease into a body of water because the fish and any water introduced is not certified disease-free.”
Officials discovered the Utah chub during routine sampling at Millsite Reservoir in central Utah, about a 160-mile drive south from Salt Lake City. The introduction must have occurred in the last few years since they found several age classes in the sample, officials said.
Unfortunately, the reservoir is home to the bluehead sucker, “a species of greatest conservation need,” officials said.
“We have worked hard over the years to ensure that the Millsite ecosystem is a healthy balance that supports recreation and the conservation effort of the bluehead sucker,” officials said. “The illegal introduction of the Utah chub has put it at risk.”
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