Historical Events
1849: Utah Lake tributaries diverted. As a result many fish are directed into canals and
carried onto farmer’s fields rather than back to the lake. This practice has continued
into recent times.
1872: A dam is constructed across the Jordan River (Utah Lake’s only outlet).
1886: Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) introduced to Utah Lake.
1893: Black bullhead (Ameiurus melas) introduced to Utah Lake.
1890’s: Tributary rivers drained in an effort to water farmer’s dry fields. Thousands of tons
of native fish are left out of water.
1890: Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) introduced to Utah Lake.
1906: “We found the lake trout [Bonneville cutthroat trout] had done poorly, because of low
and consequently muddy water; and the carp, which have thriven immensely, have
eaten off the mosses and similar growth along the bottom of the lake, so that the
trout have not had enough to eat. Carp are a good deal like the English sparrow —
once they get into a place they are there to say,” E.A. Tullian, Superintendent of the
United States Fish Commission, 1901.
1913: More than 200,000 acres of land are being irrigated. So much water is drained from
Utah Lake that aquatic vegetation is annihilated, and millions of fish die from overcrowding
and insufficient oxygen supply.
1919: Channel catfish (Ictalurus puctatus) introduced to Utah Lake.
1928: Last specimen of Utah Lake sculpin collected, it is now considered extinct.
1930’s: Utah Lake suffers a severe drought and shrivels to an alarming average depth of
one foot.
1932: Last Bonneville cutthroat trout captured in Utah Lake.
1952: Walleye (Stizostedion vitreum) introduced to Utah Lake.
1956: White bass (Morone chrysops) introduced to Utah Lake.
1986: June sucker are added to the Endangered Species List.
1995: Use of gill nets to catch fish for Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) monitoring program
is discontinued in order to reduce the risk of harming native fish.
1999: A significant study reveals that wastewater treatment plants deposited more
phosphorous into Utah Lake than any other source (149.5 tons per year).
2002: June Sucker Recovery Implementation Program formed.