Recovery efforts for the June sucker, such as the development of a June sucker hatchery program resulting in the stocking of tens of thousands of June sucker annually, removal of carp, creation of juvenile June sucker rearing habitat in Hobble Creek, progress towards restoration of the Provo River Delta, supplementing flows in the Provo River and Hobble Creek to support June sucker recovery, education and outreach, and many other recovery activities have been ongoing since the June Sucker Recovery Implementation Program was initiated in 2002. Carp have a negative impact on June sucker, water quality, and the recreational fishery in Utah Lake. Consequently, some level of carp removal will be necessary into the foreseeable future even after June sucker are delisted under ESA. This funding will provide the required match for federal funding and allow carp removal to proceed under the current model (removal through commercial fishing) for the next several years. These maintenance removal efforts should keep carp biomass below the 75% biomass reduction target and allow emergent vegetation to continue to spread within Utah Lake. During this time period, the June sucker Recovery Implementation Program will continue exploring and funding efforts that may provide alternate carp removal opportunities in Utah Lake that may prove more effective than commercial fishing or in combination with commercial fishing may prove more cost effective than commercial fishing alone.

The goals of the JSRIP are to: 1) recover the June sucker so that it no longer requires protection under the ESA; and, 2) allow continued operation of existing water facilities and future development of water resources for human use in the Utah Lake drainage. To achieve these goals the JSRIP is taking an ecosystem level approach using adaptive management techniques wherein biological information is gathered, reviewed and incorporated in JSRIP planning on an annual basis. The effectiveness of individual projects are monitored through separate monitoring efforts to provide feedback for future projects and recovery actions. The objective of this funding is to provide the state match to federal funding that will allow the continued maintenance removal of carp with commercial fishing in Utah Lake for the next several years.

June Sucker Recovery Plan (USFWS 1999) -- project allows implementation of recovery actions CUP Utah Lake System EIS (CUWCD 2004) -- project provides legal compliance and fulfills environmental commitments necessary to allow completion and operation of CUP. Utah Lake Master Plan (Utah Lake Commission and FFSL 2010) -- plan identifies need to recover the June sucker.

Because the JSRIP has federal partners and federal funds are contributed annually to the program, an Environmental Assessment was completed for federal participation in the program. Additional NEPA compliance may be necessary and will be conducted on an as-needed basis for specific projects implemented under the JSRIP. Past projects that have required NEPA compliance include the removal of carp from Utah Lake, habitat restoration on Hobble Creek, rehabilitation of Red Butte Reservoir, the augmentation of flows in Hobble Creek, and the Provo River Delta Restoration Project. For this project, the appropriate State permitting will be obtained to allow for commercial fishing for carp on Utah Lake.

A contract will be maintained with Loy Fisheries to remove carp on Utah Lake. This contract will outline commercial fishing needs to keep carp numbers at the reduced target of a 75% reduction in biomass as compared to pre-carp removal. In addition, the contract will outline other fishing needs that Loy Fisheries will complete; these activities will be defined in the Loy Fisheries contract and will help fill other fisheries data gaps in Utah Lake (e.g., location of smaller age classes of carp during different seasons.

The recovery of June sucker is being addressed by research designed to clearly understand and develop approaches to managing threats and applied activities designed to address specific threats. Each activity conducted to benefit June sucker will be monitored and evaluated to gain information that can be applied to future efforts. The June sucker population is monitored annually during its spawning run in the Provo River and other tributaries. An increasing, self recruiting population in Utah Lake will be the long-term indication that threats are being successfully managed to allow for delisting. The lake wide impacts from removal of carp in Utah Lake are monitored through many programs, but specifically lake changes can be determined through Utah State University's research on macrophytes in the lake as well as tracking carp biomass through the commercial fishery.

The JSRIP administers contributions from the JSRIP partners. The projects listed in this application have been approved by the JSRIP Administration Committee and will be administered by the Program Director's Office at DNR and the Central Utah Water Conservancy District (CUWCD). The JSRIP is a collaborative program among state, federal and local entities including DNR and its divisions, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), the Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission (URMCC), the Central Utah Water Conservancy District (CUWCD), the Provo River Water Users Association (PRWUA), the Provo Reservoir Water Users Company (represented by Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District), the Utah Division of Water Quality (DWQ) and an outdoor and environmental interests representative. On an annual basis each partner contributes funding and/or in-kind services commensurate with their respective role in the recovery effort.

An ecosystem-level approach towards recovery results in the implementation of actions that will benefit a broad array of species. The JSRIP Director's Office actively promotes coordination with the other management plans on Utah Lake and in the surrounding area. The Utah Lake Commission has worked with the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands to draft a master plan for the lake and its surrounding area. Objectives of that plan include the reduction of the lake's carp population and recovery of the June sucker. The June Sucker Recovery Plan (USFWS 1999) is the guiding document for activities implemented under the JSRIP. Annual status reports are required for all projects approved for funding under the JSRIP. The Technical and Administration Committees meet on a regular basis to remain current on potential new threats and the status of JSIRP projects. These meetings are part of an adaptive management process that leads to timely adjustments to recovery strategies and ensures effective coordination of recovery activities. The USFWS, under their ESA authority, determines if sufficient progress toward recovery is being made to allow for the JSRIP to serve as ESA compliance for federal water projects. The USFWS provided a memo to the JSRIP in May of 2015 indicating that sufficient progress towards recovery of the June sucker has been occurring. The carp removal project in Utah Lake is evaluated on an annual basis and changes to the amount of fishing based on seasons and water levels are changed as needed. In addition, the June Sucker Recovery Implementation Program is continuing to explore other carp removal opportunities in Utah Lake that in combination with commercial fishing will provide the most cost effective solution into the future to effectively keep carp numbers suppressed allowing lake wide benefits.

07/01/2020

06/30/2021

2021

Common carp were identified as a primary threat to June sucker recovery in 2003 after formation of the June Sucker Recovery Implementation Program (JSRIP). The JSRIP conducted research on possible control strategies for carp from 2004 to 2009, before implementing a mechanical removal program in the winter of 2010. The removal effort has been successful with an over 75% reduction in carp biomass. Mechanical removal has been continued through FY21 by the Loy's Fisheries Inc.

During FY 2021, another 92,000 pounds of carp was removed from Utah Lake bringing the total amount since 2009 to over 29.5 million pounds. The amount in FY21 was lower than previous years due to several factors including: 1. A reduced carp population in the lake and a change in carp age structure leaning more heavily towards juveniles than adults. Typical gear targets adults and new smaller mesh size gear has been made for 2021-2022 and is currently being used to see if catch size is different. 2. High water levels which increased the amount of vegetation where carp could hide and made fishing more difficult to deploy and gather nets. 3. Re-shifting priorities to sample and find smaller age classes of carp to better target them with the new net size. 4. Sampling issues due to Covid-19

In FY2022, the Program should work to continue the removal of common carp from Utah Lake, with an emphasis on evaluating potential strategies to maintain a reduced carp population in the lake and looking towards control measures targeting the younger age classes. Funding and participation in the June Sucker Recovery Implementation Program carp removal project are on-going and will be required until program goals and delisting are accomplished.