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UTAH COUNTY — Northern pikes were illegally transplanted into Utah Lake and Division of Wildlife Resources officials are asking anglers to kill the predators when they are caught.
DWR biologists are worried about the effect the pike will have on other fish species, including the June suckers — an endangered fish species found nowhere else in the world, according to a DWR news release.
“The illegal introduction of northern pike could negate much of the work that has been done to recover the June sucker,” DWR regional aquatic manager Mike Slater said in the news release. “Work to help June suckers has also helped sport fish in the lake. Whoever put northern pike in the lake did a very selfish and thoughtless thing.”
Northern pikes are predators that sit at the top of the food chain and the population is growing rapidly in Utah Lake, the news release said.
“They eat anything they want,” Slater said. “Adding a predator like this could hurt the bass, walleye, catfish and panfish populations that are already in the lake.”
DWR officials said anglers that catch northern pikes must kill the fish instead of releasing them back into Utah Lake.
“By law, pike caught at Utah Lake may not be returned to the lake alive,” Slater said. “Every pike that’s caught must be killed.”
Officials are also asking anglers to record the date, time and location of where they caught the pike. Anglers can bring the fish to the Utah Lake State Park office at 4400 W. Center Street in Provo or to the DWR Central Region office at 1115 N. Main in Springville.
If an angler isn’t able to take the pike to the DWR offices, they can keep the pike in their freezer and have a DWR official pick it up. Anglers can call DWR at 801-491-5678 for the pickup.
Slater said recording the date and location will help biologists determine where the pike are spawning and what areas of the lake they’re using. Donating the fish will allow biologists to pass the fish along to a researcher at Utah State University. His research will help biologists learn more about pike in the lake, including which fish the pike are preying on and how many they’re consuming.
“To complete his research, the researcher needs 500 pike,” Slater said. “Any pike you catch and donate will help the study immensely.”
