Whiterocks Fish Hatchery Gets More Than a Face LiftNew hatchery should produce more than 130,000 pounds of fish
Whiterocks -- When members of the Northeastern Regional Advisory Council and Utah Wildlife Board visited the Whiterocks State Fish Hatchery with employees from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources recently, most of them didn't recognize the place.
The old, dilapidated, white, wooden hatchery building built in 1923 was gone. So were the old office/storage building and three sets of old, crumbling, concrete raceways. In their place stood a large, modern concrete block building. They also watched as construction workers quickly worked to finish pouring new concrete raceways.
The $6 million construction project they saw was more than a face-lift*the entire system has been rebuilt.
"We will be able to triple our production," said Ron Morrill, who manages the UDWR hatchery near Whiterocks, about 30 miles northeast of Roosevelt.
"The old hatchery could raise 45,000 pounds of fish under prime conditions; the new one should produce over 130,000 pounds of fish," Morrill said. "There will be fewer outside raceways, but the new ones will be wider and better designed so they will have about the same amount of space, but they will raise more fish.
"It's in our new building, and some new technology, that we see the greatest changes."
The new building contains a main room with 42 new troughs. There's enough space in the building that a truck can be driven into the center of it. This provides easy access to the troughs and makes it easier for hatchery personnel to move fish, equipment and other materials.
"Each of the new troughs is worth about six of the old ones, and there were only 12 troughs in the old building," Morrill said. "Another room contains water columns and trays for hatching eggs. The large interior bay will allow us to work on trucks and other equipment, and then we have an office space and a couple of small storerooms for fish food and other things. The bulk of our fish food will be stored in another storage facility close to the outside raceways."
The hatchery's improved technology includes an oxygenation system and baffles.
"The entire fish rearing facility is tied into an oxygenation system," Morrill said. "A major limitation to fish production is the amount of oxygen available in the water. The more fish, the more dissolved oxygen is needed. Our system will allow us to inject oxygen into the water to maintain the oxygen at a high level, which translates to healthier fish and increased production.
"Another improvement is the baffles, which direct water flow along the bottom to waste collection areas and then up over walls to spill into the next raceway holding area. The baffles will help increase oxygen levels while making it easier to remove waste and clean the troughs and raceways."
The Whiterocks hatchery is already raising some fish, and should be in full production by late spring 2007.
"We have some eggs and fry in the hatching area and troughs right now," Morrill said. "Currently, we are hatching out kokanee salmon eggs and raising rainbows, including some that are triploid to make them sterile. Eventually we could be raising rainbows, brook trout, kokanee and several strains of Colorado River cutthroat trout. Most of these will go to
local waters, but some will be transported to other areas throughout the state."The construction on the main building is complete; we just need to put in some more screens and add a few other finishing touches," Morrill said. "The raceways should be poured by early next year. Then we'll finish up by filling in around the raceways and paving a parking lot around the buildings. We're at a projected rate of 98,000 pounds of fish this year, and will be able to raise over 130,000 once we are fully functional.
"With our increased production, we plan to hire another full-time employee and get a bigger fish hauling truck."
History of the Whiterocks Hatchery
In 1923, the state of Utah acquired a unique site near Whiterocks, about 30 miles northeast of Roosevelt. The springs at this site made it perfect for raising fish, and by the end of the year a hatchery building was constructed along with a set of rearing ponds. As time and funding permitted, three sets of concrete raceways were added. These raceways provided a more productive system than the earthen ponds that the hatchery began with.
From the early to mid-1900s, Whiterocks was a state-of-the-art facility. Fish eggs, gathered from around Utah and other parts of the Western states, were placed in trays where hatchery staff could watch them until they hatched into fry. The fry were first moved to the troughs inside the building, where they were fed a high protein diet of whatever meats the managers could find, including carp, roadkill and dead or old animals donated by local ranchers.
At first, managers stocked the fry into lakes and streams, but they soon learned that larger fish survived better, so managers began raising the fish longer. As the fish grew larger, they were moved to the outside raceways before being stocked into lakes and streams.
By the time Whiterocks was built, trucks had replaced horse-drawn carts as the preferred way to move fish. Fry and later fingerlings were placed in 10-gallon milk cans and were either driven directly to the water or to a trailhead, where they were taken to their final destination by foot or horseback. Most of today's 400 managed waters on the South Slope of the Uinta Mountains were originally stocked by horseback.
Hatchery managers also experimented to find better techniques to feed fish. Flour and other finely ground materials were added to the ground meats. This created a better nutritional mix. Eventually, managers at Utah's Glenwood State Fish Hatchery helped develop a completely dry food, which was easier to manage, store and feed to the fish. Today, the Whiterocks hatchery buys fish food from commercial companies that use some of the techniques and information originally developed in Utah's state fish hatchery system.
Stocking techniques also improved over time, with the equipment the hatchery staff used progressing from 10-gallon cans to trucks carrying huge tanks. The Whiterocks hatchery currently uses a truck with a single 400-gallon tank, but it also ships fish out on a UDWR truck equipped with four 400-gallon tanks.
The horses also have been replaced. In July, August and sometimes into September, hatchery personnel get up before dawn and load their trucks with small fingerlings. These fish trucks aren't heading to a lake or reservoir, though: they're going to meet a UDWR airplane equipped with a special tank.
Measured numbers of fingerlings and a limited amount of water are placed into one of several small compartments in the tank. The fingerlings and water are then flown to a high mountain lake or reservoir. Once the pilot arrives at the body of water, he lines his plane up with it, dives as close as safety allows and releases one or more compartments of fingerlings. Due to the relative shapes of water droplets and fingerlings, the water hits the surface first, creating splashes and waves that allow the fish to enter the water safely.
Managers at the Whiterocks hatchery continued to be innovative in other ways. These ways included experimenting with
a water column, which helps provide oxygen while reducing the loss of eggs to fungus and other diseases. The
hatchery's managers were often called upon to hatch and grow fish that had been difficult to raise in a hatchery situation. However, while innovative methods for handling and raising eggs, fry and fingerlings helped improve production at the hatchery for almost 80 years, time had the final say. Concrete crumbled, wood rotted and pipes rusted, and the once modern hatchery needed to be replaced with a new, state-of-the-art facility.
Restrictions on Shed Antler Gathering approved for Northern Utah
Hunts to reduce small bull elk on four limited entry units also approved
Salt Lake City -- Ideas to help some of Utah's deer and elk herds were discussed at the Nov. 30 meeting of the Utah Wildlife Board.
By the time the meeting was over, restrictions on shed antler gathering had been approved for northern Utah. A recommendation that will allow hunters to take small bull elk on four limited entry units in southern Utah was also approved with some minor changes from what the Division of Wildlife Resources had originally recommended.
All of the big game rules the board approved will be available in the 2007 Utah Big Game Proclamation. The proclamation should be available by early January.
Approved
Among the recommendations the board approved were the following:
Two Changes in Northern Utah
- From Feb. 1 to April 30, 2007, antlers shed by big game animals may not be gathered in the Northern Region. This closure affects all of the land in the Northern Region.
- Two thousand Northern Region hunters can take both a buck deer and a bull elk during a new combination buck deer/bull elk hunt this fall.
A total of 2,000 Northern Region general season buck deer permits will be taken from the Northern Region allotment and made available for the new hunt. Hunters who draw one of the permits will also receive an any bull elk permit.
The new buck deer/bull elk hunt will be held Oct. 6 * 18 on any bull elk units in the Northern Region. Hunters who draw one of these permits can take both a buck deer and a bull elk.
"The Cache Deer Working Group has been looking for ways to help deer herds in Cache and Rich counties," says Craig McLaughlin, big game coordinator for the DWR. "They've also been looking for ways to reduce the number of hunters on the Cache unit during the general rifle buck deer hunt."
McLaughlin says closing the Northern Region to shed antler gathering from Feb. 1 * April 30 should help deer herds across the region, including the herds in Cache and Rich counties.
"By the time winter ends big game animals, especially deer, are very stressed," he says. "Not allowing people to gather antlers during this time of the year should help more deer make it all the way through the winter. The does should also be in better condition, and that will help them produce bigger, healthier fawns next spring."
McLaughlin says the new buck deer/bull elk hunt in the region should help reduce hunting pressure on the Cache unit. "The Cache unit does not have an any-bull elk unit on it," he says. "Hunters who draw a permit for the new hunt won't be hunting on the Cache unit during the regular rifle deer hunt that's held later in October."
Helping Four of Utah's Best Elk Herds
The board also approved a recommendation that should help the elk herds on the Monroe, Pahvant, San Juan and Southwest Desert limited entry units in southern Utah by reducing the number of smaller bull elk.
To reduce the number of smaller bulls, in the spring the board will approve additional rifle hunting permits for the Monroe, Pahvant and Southwest Desert units. These permits will be available for the hunt in late November.
On the San Juan unit, the additional permits will be available for the archery hunt that begins in August.
Thirty percent of the permits will be available to hunters who are less than 18 years of age, and 30 percent will be available to hunters who are 65 years of age or older. The remaining 40 percent will be available to hunters of all ages.
Hunters who draw the permits will be encouraged to take a bull elk with five or less antler points. Hunters who take a larger bull will not be allowed to keep the bull. They'll also lose any bonus points they've accrued, and they'll incur a waiting period that won't allow them to apply for a limited entry elk permit for five years.
"These herds need some help," McLaughlin says. "The number of bull elk and cow elk on the units is almost equal. These hunts will protect the larger bulls while allowing more of the smaller bulls to be taken.
"Taking more of the smaller bulls will provide room in the herds for more cow elk. The calves produced by these extra cows should help ensure that the four herds remain healthy and strong for years to come."
Not Approved
A recommendation to lengthen the general rifle deer buck hunt to nine days in southern Utah was among the recommendations the board did not approve.
"Plenty of rain and snow over the past two years has really helped the vegetation and the deer herds in southern Utah," McLaughlin says. "The number of bucks per 100 does has increased to an average of 15 bucks per 100 does, which is the minimum goal set in the state's deer management plans."
Even though deer herds are improving, hunters were still concerned about the effect four extra days of hunting would have on the herds.
"Most of the bucks taken during any deer hunt are taken during the first weekend of the hunt," McLaughlin says. "Because most of the bucks are taken during the opening weekend, we don't believe adding four additional days to the hunt would have hurt the herds.
"We also wanted to provide young hunters and their families with an extra weekend of hunting. Because of their school and church commitments, many young people can only hunt on the weekends. The current five-day hunt limits many of them to one day of hunting."
For more information, call the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office or the DWR's Salt Lake City office at (801) 538-4700.
Fishing and Hunting Licenses Make Great Christmas Gifts
Utah fishing and hunting licenses make great Christmas gifts, and they're easy to buy.
Utah fishing, small game and combination licenses (combination licenses allow the license holder to fish and hunt small game) are available at the Division of Wildlife Resource's Web site ( http://www.wildlife.utah.gov ) and at DWR offices and fishing and hunting license agent locations across the state.
In addition to enjoying the outdoors in 2007, the person you give the license to will receive an added bonus * they won't have to wait until Jan. 1 to use it. These licenses are 365-day licenses that are good for 365 days from the day they're purchased. For example, if you purchase the license on Dec. 12, 2006, the person you give it to can use it immediately and can continue using it until Dec. 11, 2007.
In addition to fishing, small game and combination licenses, two-pole permits, setline permits and cougar pursuit permits are also available. Two-pole and setline permits are 365-day permits. Cougar pursuit permits are good for the season for which they're issued.
Buyers are reminded that the combination license does not include a deer or elk permit and does not allow someone to hunt deer or elk. Hunters may apply for a 2007 general deer permit in January. General elk permits will be available, over-the-counter, in June.
Many Ways to Buy One
If you have a major credit card, you can purchase a license or permit at the Division of Wildlife Resource's Web site ( http://www.wildlife.utah.gov ). You can have the license mailed to you (so you can wrap it and give it as a gift) or you can have it mailed directly to the person you're buying it for. It may take up to five days for the license to arrive in the mail.
The same items also may be purchased at DWR offices and from hunting and fishing license agents across the state.
Costs
Utah resident license and permit costs are as follows:
Fishing license (14 - 64 years old) $26
Fishing license (65 years old and older) $21
Two-pole permit $15
Setline permit $15
Small game license (under 14 years of age) $11
Small game license (14 years old and older) $17
Combination license $34
Cougar pursuit permit $30
They're Easy to Buy
"Purchasing a license for someone is easy," says Judi Tutorow, wildlife licensing coordinator for the DWR. "If you're visiting a DWR office or our Web site, all you'll need to provide is the person's personal information -- name, height, weight, eye color, hair color, date of birth, address and phone number."
If you purchase a small game or combination license from a license agent or the DWR's Web site, you also must supply verification (known in Utah as a "blue card") that the person you're purchasing the license for has completed a DWR-approved hunter education course. The course is required for anyone born after Dec. 31, 1965 who wishes to hunt in Utah.
"License agents are not able to verify completion of a hunter education course via computer, the way we can at a DWR office," Tutorow says.
Tutorow says it's also helpful to provide the person's Social Security and driver license numbers, but these aren't required.
Two-Pole and Setline Permits
The two-pole permit allows an angler, who must also possess a fishing license, to use two fishing poles while fishing at Lake Powell; Flaming Gorge, Newton, Hyrum, Willard Bay, Pineview, Starvation, Yuba, D.M.A.D, and Gunlock reservoirs; Utah Lake; Pelican Lake; Gunnison Bend; the Malad River; the Little Bear River below Valley View Highway (SR-30); and the Bear River, from the Idaho state line downstream, including Cutler Reservoir and the outlet canals.
The setline permit allows an angler, who must also possess a fishing license, to use one setline containing not more than 15 hooks while fishing at Utah Lake; in the Bear River proper downstream from the Idaho state line, including Cutler Reservoir and the outlet canals; the Little Bear River below Valley View Highway (SR-30); and the Malad River.
Methods of Purchase
Resident licenses may be purchased with credit cards, cash, checks or money orders. DWR offices are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays through Fridays.
Those with questions may call their nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office or the DWR's Salt Lake City office at (801) 538-4700.
DWR Proposes Small Increase in Black Bear Hunting Permits
There could be a few more black bear hunting permits available for hunts in Utah next spring and fall.
The Division of Wildlife Resources is recommending a slight increase in the number of permits available for 2007. The DWR will share its recommendation at an upcoming series of public meetings.
Those who attend the meetings can learn more about the recommendation and can provide their input and suggestions. Citizens from Utah's five Regional Advisory Councils will take the public input received to the Utah Wildlife Board when it meets in Salt Lake City on Jan. 10, 2007 to approve Utah's 2007 Black Bear Proclamation.
Meeting dates, times and locations are as follows:
Southern Region
Dec. 12
7 p.m.
Beaver High School
195 E. Center St.
Beaver
Southeastern Region
Dec. 13
6:30 p.m.
John Wesley Powell Museum
885 E. Main St.
Green River
Northeastern Region
Dec. 14
6:30 p.m.
Uintah Basin Applied Technology College
1100 E. Lagoon St.
Roosevelt
Central Region
Dec. 19
6:30 p.m.
Springville Junior High School
165 S. 700 E.
Springville
Northern Region
Dec. 20
6 p.m.
Brigham City Community Center
24 N. 300 W.
Brigham City
Black Bears Permits
The number of black bear hunting permits available in Utah in 2007 would increase slightly under a DWR recommendation to increase the number of permits to 244. In 2006, a total of 229 permits were available to public hunters.
"Utah's black bear populations are stable, and I think the populations may have even increased a bit," says Kevin Bunnell, mammals program coordinator for the DWR. "Good precipitation over the past two years has provided more vegetation for the bears to eat. More black bear cubs have been born during that time, and fewer bears have been coming into campgrounds and towns."
For more information about the meetings, call the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office or the DWR's Salt Lake City office at (801) 538-4700.
Ligety Screams into 3rd at Birds Giant Slalom
Career fifth World Cup podium
came into the final pitch. He was to have it examined Saturday night but said he didn't expect any problem with racing
Sunday in the Rauch Men's Slalom that concludes the Birds of Prey race. 
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4. Full Parallel
Fishing success is an elusive combination of
where you fish, depth, technique and tackle. It
changes from day to day and hour to hour. Skill
and experience are as important here as in any
other sport.
Aquatics Manager Paul Birdsey reports good fishing, although bites
are light. He suggests getting started at sunrise, when the bite is best.
Paul recommends a chartreuse twist tail grub, hooked with a redside
shiner; or a chartreuse glo-bug, tipped with a nightcrawler or piece of
chub.