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Division pilots spearfishing reporting app to measure harvest and habitat use
Summary
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources showcased a beta app developed with spearfishing community input to collect voluntary trip, sightings and harvest data; staff will present aggregated results next year and roll the app out Oct. 1.
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) demonstrated a voluntary reporting app for spearfishing on Sept. 18, saying the tool will let participants log trips, sightings and harvest to help the agency assess spearfishing impacts.
Craig Walker, who led the presentation as a DWR fisheries staffer, said the division has been working with a subset of spearfishers for six months to design the tool, and that beta testing will finish at the end of September with an anticipated public roll-out on Oct. 1.
Walker said the app lets users create an account, record whether they were spearfishing on a trip, note the number and species of fish seen, and log harvest. “One of the concerns is that what they’re harvesting is actually the top tier predators … the biggest fish, trophy fish,” Walker said. To address that, the app will allow users to log lengths for the four largest fish of each species they take. The data will be shared with the division and used to evaluate harvest impacts and use patterns; Walker told the board DWR plans to present aggregated results to the wildlife board next year.
Trina Hedrick, cold-water sport fishing coordinator, said the division will accept both sightings and harvest information because “not everything you see is something you’re going to shoot” and sighting data will help DWR measure use of habitat installations and reservoir areas. Walker added that reports will go into a geospatial database so the division can map use “water by water” and roll findings up to statewide summaries.
Board members asked procedural questions about data upload and privacy; Walker said account information is visible to the division but not other app users, and entries will automatically upload when the user’s device reconnects. DWR will incorporate beta testers’ workflow feedback before the public launch.
The division framed the app as an evidence-based response to earlier board concerns about potential harvest impacts from spearfishing; the tool is voluntary and DWR said it will use the results to inform future regulatory decisions.
