Fish take flight into Uinta lakes
Historically, fish made their way into the backcountry on horses. They were delivered from a Utah fish hatchery by truck to a crew of men and a pack train of horses. Fish were placed in metal milk cans, which were tied to the sides of the horses.
The fish would then be packed in to the various lakes and released. Some trips took seven or more days, and it took an entire summer to stock all the lakes.
But in 1956, the agency changed the backcountry-stocking program to a more modern method — stocking by airplane.
Four of the Division of Wildlife Resources' 12 state fish hatcheries are involved in aerial stocking — Kamas, Fountain Green, Whiterocks and Glenwood.
Six fish species are stocked by airplane: rainbow, cutthroat trout, brook trout, tiger trout, splake and Artic grayling. These fish are between one to three inches in length when stocked using an airplane. This small size is to help ensure the fish survive the drop from the plane.
The DWR has two pilots who fly two Cessna four-passenger airplanes owned by the division. The planes are fixed-wing, 185-horsepower, tail-dragger aircraft that are very maneuverable at low elevations.
Hatchery personnel assist the pilot in locating the correct lake using their experience and Global Positioning Systems.
Once the plane is over the desired lake, the pilot opens the compartments, allowing the water and fish to drop into the lake below. The fish fall between 50 to 150 feet, depending on how close to the lake the pilot can fly. The survival rate of these fish is around 99 percent.
On a good morning, using both airplanes, seven to 10 fights can be made to stock the lakes in the Uinta Mountains. Stocking the backcountry lakes in the Uintas may occur once a year, while other lakes within the Uintas are stocked every second, third or even fourth year. The rotation depends on the individual lake.
Lakes in the Wasatch Mountains, Manti Mountains, Fish Lake lakes, Boulder Mountains, La Sal Mountains and Cedar Mountain are also stocked by air.
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