With the proposed changes, you could see more perch on ice. Photo - examiner.com
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is proposing a few changes that could help out Utah fisheries in 2010. One of them is increasing the limit on perch to 50 fish. Biologists have determined that the fish go through a "boom and bust" cycle, dependent upon water levels, other available fish species as food for predatory fish, and available cover.
Cover is an issue due to the raising and lowering of water levels in reservoirs. Stable cover, requires stable water levels. When the cover isn't stable, the perch don't thrive. Predator fish rely on perch for much of their food supply simply because there aren't a lot of other species in our waters that they feed on. According to the DWR, "The cycle begins when the perch population is small. There's plenty of food for the perch to eat and lots of cover to hide in. The perch population explodes, and fishing is great. Then the population crashes as the perch compete for food and cover, and other predators and bigger perch prey on the smaller perch."
Biologists believe raising the limit to 50 perch will help to even out the boom and bust cycle. Evidence gathered shows that in waters with a 10 fish limit, the cycle is much more pronounced than in the waters that currently have a 50 fish limit.
Lower limits at community ponds
Also in 2010, the DWR is proposing to lower the limit at Utah's 39 community fisheries to two fish. Fishing in these waters is generally hot, right after stocking, but Drew Cushing, warm water sport fisheries coordinator for the DWR, says, ""These waters receive a lot of fishing pressure," Cushing says. "Most of the fish we stock are caught two or three days after we stock them. Then fishing usually slows down until we can stock the waters again."
Parks and recreation directors have also recommended to the DWR that largemouth bass be catch and release only. The bass don't spawn until they reach 8 inches in length, which rarely takes place because they are caught before reaching maturity. Says Cushing, ""The community waters that have bass also have bluegill. We need the bass to keep the bluegill populations under control. If the bluegill populations get too large, the bluegill won't reach a size that most anglers will want to catch." (Source: DWR website)
Comments