Forsyth Gillnetting Report - Healthy trout and growing number of perch, which is bad

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Michael Hadley, an aquatic biologist for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, sent in this report of a gillnetting survey at Forsyth Reservoir last week.

Forsyth Reservoir: Good numbers of splake and tiger trout were observed with 14- to 17-inch fish most dominant and a couple of tiger trout exceeding 20 inches and 3 pounds. Unfortunately, we also found lots of small yellow perch. These fish were illegally introduced to the reservoir around 2008 or 2009 and are quickly increasing in abundance. While perch fishing may be fairly good for a couple of years, they will eventually begin to have a negative impact on the trout fishery. Once that happens, chemically treating the reservoir to remove all fish and then starting over from scratch will be necessary to remedy the situation. This presents another example why the illegal transport and introduction of fish can have frustrating and costly consequences.