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Utah Wildlife Division reports hatchery milestones, new bighorn nursery and accessible trail
Summary
Division Director Riley Peck told the Utah Wildlife Board the agency achieved rare successes raising warm-water fish species, released 25 bighorn sheep into a new nursery facility, and opened an accessible legacy trail at the Echos Wildlife Education Center.
Director Riley Peck told the Utah Wildlife Board on June 12 that the Division of Wildlife Resources has seen “incredible success” this year in its hatcheries and ongoing habitat work.
Peck said the division’s aquatic research staff produced large numbers of young fish across several species. He reported the division took 750,000 tiger muskie eggs this season and has stocked roughly 80,000 two‑inch tiger muskies, with another 12,000 at about eight inches ready for release. The division also took about 9.7 million walleye eggs and has stocked more than 1,000,000 juvenile walleye into Willard Bay and other waters, with approximately 500,000 additional three‑inch sterile walleye available for transfer. For hybrid striped bass, Peck said the agency took 4,000,000 eggs and has roughly 1,100,000 fish at a “Wall Week” facility and 400,000 at the Springville hatchery.
Peck said the results represent methods his staff and partners have refined over several seasons and that the success with warm‑water species is unusual among U.S. state hatchery programs. “This is pretty incredible,” he said, adding the division plans continued stocking and monitoring.
The board also heard that the division released 25 bighorn sheep captured in Nevada into a new nursery facility the division operates to bolster populations and enable more translocations. Peck said the nursery gives the state “potential” to add bighorn to more sites and praised partner agencies and volunteers who helped with captures and releases.
Peck highlighted habitat and outreach work as well. The Echos Wildlife Education Center will open the Hasson Jaeger Legacy Trail, described by Peck as a braille-accessible trail intended to make wildlife viewing opportunities available to visitors with visual impairments. He also noted ongoing spring guzzler work, conifer encroachment projects and neonate survival studies in partnership with Brigham Young University.
Public commenters at the meeting praised the division’s volunteer opportunities and the hands-on experiences such opportunities give to families. Troy Justerson of Sportsman Fish and Wildlife said volunteer events such as goose banding and bighorn releases “give us some ownership in the wildlife in the state of Utah.”
Board members and RAC chairs attending in person thanked division staff and partners for the hatchery and habitat work and for outreach efforts intended to broaden participation in conservation projects.
Looking ahead, Peck reminded listeners that appointments to the board under the governor’s nomination process were on the governor’s website and open for public comment before senate confirmation.
Peck and his staff did not propose rule changes during the update; the presentation focused on operational results, ongoing projects and outreach.
