The UDWR would like to closely monitor Blue Ribbon fisheries to ensure that Blue Ribbon status is maintained and to help the UDWR make proactive management changes at Blue Ribbon fisheries. Unfortunately there insufficient funds within the regional budgets to perform essential monitoring work. This project is intended to provide financial assistance to the regions so monitoring work can be performed on Blue Ribbon fisheries. The funding may be used to perform monitoring surveys, purchase monitoring equipment, or to fund staff who perform monitoring work.

Provide additional funding for the completion of monitoring efforts on Utah's Blue Ribbon fisheries. Specifically, $58,411 is requested for FY24. That money will be spent as follows: 1) Jordanelle Reservoir Creel Survey = $12,000 2) Reward tagged fish effort to better understand walleye exploitation at Starvation Reservoir = $5,500 3) Fish Lake Creel Survey = $2,000 4) Flaming Gorge Reservoir Creel Survey = $4,000 5) Creel Survey on Wasatch Front Community Fisheries = $17,411 (with additional $31,589 from other funding sources) 5) Lake Canyon Reservoir Creel Survey = $10,000 6) eDNA work to verify brook trout removal in select waters in Uinta Mountains = $7,500 6)

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Many Blue Ribbon fisheries have management plans describe quantitative fishery goals (e.g., fish numbers, angler catch rates, etc.). This funding helps ensure that any monitoring work called for in management plans is performed.

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07/01/2023

06/30/2024

2024

The project helped the regions on numerous creel surveys and exploitation tagging studies. Creel surveys completed included: Jordanelle Flaming Gorge Jackson Flat Creel surveys that were started and will end in FY25: Pelican Fish Lake Wasatch Front Community waters Tagged fish exploitation studies were conducted at Pelican Lake (no carp caught) and Starvation (enough walleye were caught that we were able to estimate fishing mortality and total mortality and poll our anglers on various new regulations there). And finally, eDNA studies were conducted at Strawberry Reservoir for early detection of any additional walleye that may still be in there.

Each year, DWR aquatics biologists determine what information is needed at each of their fisheries. This may include the need to collect in-depth data at a water including catch rate, total catch, harvest rate, total harvest, and demographic and angler data much of which can only be captured by an in-depth survey using the appropriate statistical methods. For example, each stratification requires at least 2 (though we'd prefer 3) data points so when we capture weekend and weekday information separately (which is statistically meaningful), we add data points each month. These data points add up as most creels require biologists and staff to be on the water anywhere between 8-15 hours each creel day for between 6 and 12 days per month (depending on the stratification levels). However, the data that these surveys return is invaluable for managing these waterbodies, setting appropriate regulations, and understanding the recreational scenario at each location. Additional information with less effort can be gathered through the use of tagged fish studies but in order to maximize tag returns, a budget must be set aside for rewards for a small number of the tags returned. If a tag return value can be calculated, exploitation rate can also be evaluated and total mortality can be estimated which helps us understand what proposed regulations will do. And finally, eDNA helps us increase our reach and our early detection capabilities. A positive hit will only trigger further studies as a positive hit just means that the DNA is present and a live or dead animal was in that waterbody at some time over the span of many months. However, a positive hit has been known to help us whittle down our sampling effort and target our efforts from larger to much smaller areas.

Blue Ribbon funding will likely continue to be used for conducting creel and fisheries monitoring surveys. These surveys yield essential information about our fisheries and while we continue to develop other ways to get at this information, nothing will likely ever completely take the place of a year-long programmatic creel. We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to have these funds available for this essential work.