Warm weather in the summer months can sometimes cause a harmful algal bloom at your favorite Utah waterbody. Just a few years ago, we rarely heard about these blooms. Now, there are advisories every year. What changed? And how do these blooms affect recreation and fishing?
As a relatively new conservation officer, I've encountered some wild fishing enforcement cases in the past couple of years. Here are a few that really stood out.
"Why did you stock that species of fish in that water?" is one of the most common questions I get as a fisheries professional. That question is usually followed by "And, why did you stock the fish at that size?"
One day, I received a voicemail from a fellow officer who'd been contacted by a man with an incredible story. He claimed that he'd wounded a bull elk on the mountain in the fall of 2012, and his bull had just been found — six years later.