Each year, thousands of fish fall from the sky in Utah. But this isn’t a scene from a film – it’s part of efforts to restock the state's vast lakes.
Aerial fish stocking has been used by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) for many years, from as early as 1956, but it’s not known exactly when stocking via aeroplane was first attempted.
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More than 300 lakes, which vary in size from less than five acres up to 500, are restocked in Utah annually. Some lakes get a fresh fill of fish each year, while others are stocked on a three or five-year rotation, with over 10,000 fish being dropped in a single flight.
But why do it at all? The animals are released for recreational anglers to fish in lakes found in Utah’s remote, mountainous regions.
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Utah’s DWR states that it typically stocks native cutthroat trout in waters that contain natural populations of the species. However, to provide variety, it also stocks brook trout, tiger trout, splake, Arctic grayling, rainbow trout and golden trout – though these are usually sterile and cannot reproduce in the waters.
It also says that “other species are not stocked into waters where they could potentially impact native fish”.
The fish are dropped around 50-150 feet above the water, with the plane travelling between 70-80mph.
To reduce stress, the fish are taken off feed before the flight. The size of the fish are also kept between one to three inches long, with the agency explaining that due to this small size, the air slows their drop, allowing for an increased survival rate.
The lakes aren’t accessible by vehicles, and Utah’s DWR states that other forms of stocking would be more stressful on the fish.
