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VERNAL — The Red Fleet Fishery near Vernal was destroyed after walleye were illegally introduced to the reservoir, and after years of gathering data, the Division of Wildlife Resources has begun rebuilding and restocking the fishery.
In an effort to save native, endangered fish living in the Green River, located downstream from Red Fleet Reservoir, DWR officials treated the reservoir with rotenone in October 2015 to kill the predatory walleye. After collecting data as well as recommendations from a citizens committee, DWR biologists stocked rainbow trout, native cutthroat trout and wipers in Red Fleet Reservoir in November and plan to soon add yellow perch, black crappie and sterile walleye.
"We plan to move the first load of yellow perch from Fish Lake to Red Fleet in early March," DWR biologist Natalie Boren said. "We want to get perch in the reservoir as quick as we can. We want to give the perch a chance to spawn in Red Fleet this spring. Spawning in the reservoir this spring will help the perch establish themselves faster than if we waited and stocked them later in the season."
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9 fish species to be stocked in Vernal reservoir to rebuild fishery
The Red Fleet Fishery near Vernal was destroyed after walleye were illegally introduced to the reservoir. After years of gathering data, the Division of Wildlife Resources plans to rebuild the fishery this fall.The black crappie and walleye will both be transplanted from Willard Bay to Red Fleet in March, but the walleye will be treated so they are sterile.
"While we're at Willard Bay, we'll collect ripe male and female walleye to spawn in one of our hatcheries," Boren said. "The sterile walleye fry that result from this effort will then be placed in Red Fleet."
Mountain whitefish are also on the stocking list and will be placed in Red Fleet by early June. Seven species in total will be stocked into the reservoir.
Some of the new additions were fish species that were not previously found in northeastern Utah, DWR said.
"In addition to providing a great fishery to anglers in the Uintah Basin, we're hoping to create a fishery that anglers will be willing to travel to the Basin to fish," Boren said. "With these new species, we hope to create some new fishing opportunities and new family-oriented fishing experiences for anglers in the Basin."
