Recent hot temperatures throughout the state have caused dozens of fish to die off according to biologists with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
Over 80 kokanee salmon were recorded dead at Lost Creek Reservoir earlier this week. Catfish deaths were also reported by DWR at the Jensen Nature Park pond in Syracuse.
A spokesperson for DWR says that these high temperatures mixed with low water levels have created a deadly combination for fish as hot weather causes water temperatures to rise, lowering water oxygen levels.
Utah residents have noticed water levels dramatically dropping over the last two to three weeks.
DWR is now strategizing better ways of stocking bodies of water in the midst of the drought. Fish that were originally going to be sent to drought-impacted areas will be relocated and stocked in areas with higher water levels.
