Utah Lake Pike Survey - youtube

[perchinski]

Northern Pike Netting Survey With The DWR At Utah Lake

[joshomaru]

That is not great news.
That one pike has been getting her groceries, that's for sure!

[lovetofish]

Interesting video. Thanks for sharing.

[Envenomation09]

Northern Pike Netting Survey With The DWR At Utah Lake

Is it wrong that I don't really see how pike will affect this fishery adversely? Utah Lake is full of predators, and I am certain all of them snack on the June Sucker. Yet, we don't see catch and kill orders on catfish, white bass, walleye, bass, etc. Why does UDWR hate pike? Even in Yuba they have no love for them, despite pike being the main predator of the overly abundant carp in the reservoir.  

I'm always a bit curious about this.

[TubeDude]

Northern Pike Netting Survey With The DWR At Utah Lake

Is it wrong that I don't really see how pike will affect this fishery adversely? Utah Lake is full of predators, and I am certain all of them snack on the June Sucker. Yet, we don't see catch and kill orders on catfish, white bass, walleye, bass, etc. Why does UDWR hate pike? Even in Yuba they have no love for them, despite pike being the main predator of the overly abundant carp in the reservoir.  

I'm always a bit curious about this.

That is a "why" question.  Any question that begins with "why"...and involves people (or gummint agencies)...is not likely to have a logical answer.

But, it is a good question.   Other states have had aggressive pike removal programs...but usually on waters that have been maintained primarily for trout or some other vulnerable species.  That does not describe either Yuba or Utah Lake.  

[War Beaver]

they just need to embrace that pike are in the lake and manage it for pike, walleye, and bass. I get the june sucker is endangered, but you'll never harvest the amount of pike needed to not predate on all the small species in the lake.

My opinion is there are sufficient white bass, bluegill, crappie, and bullheads to maintain a decent pike fishery so just embrace it and move on from the fact that they were introduced illegally.

This is one of the few lakes in the state that potentially has the forage base for this.

[TubeDude]

Good points.  Anyone who is the least bit environmentally conscious hates to see any species...bug, bird, snake or animal...forever eradicated from the earth.  And it is especially concerning when that loss is due to human mismanagement of the environment.  But it does happen...and loss of species is a big part of the earth's history.  For us, that's a good thing.  Thankfully the evolutionary process brought the human species up to where we are today...although some parts of that are debatable.  And due to extinctions we don't have to dodge dinosaurs on our morning commute.

Personally, I am all for protecting any species that DESERVES protection...whether for economic or esoteric reasons.  But when it comes to June Suckers I have never been among the huge crowds protesting for their protection.  Junies were a big thing to the early settlers in Utah...providing much needed protein during the lean times.  But since then they have declined in importance.  Now they are only one of the several forage species in Utah Lake.  And spending millions of dollars to try to save them...just because it's "the right thing to do" seems silly.

Part of the lessons I learned early in life...both from family and from school classes...was that one of the keys to survival (human) was to be able to use sound reasoning in problem solving...and to accept those things that were impossible to change and to "go with it".  June suckers are unique...only by being found in only one place in the world.  But, if they were to be allowed to decline and perish naturally there would not be the slightest blip on the world screen.  What's next?  A Trump tariff on them?

Sorry, Junie huggers.
 

[MSM1970]

Good points.  Anyone who is the least bit environmentally conscious hates to see any species...bug, bird, snake or animal...forever eradicated from the earth.  And it is especially concerning when that loss is due to human mismanagement of the environment.  But it does happen...and loss of species is a big part of the earth's history.  For us, that's a good thing.  Thankfully the evolutionary process brought the human species up to where we are today...although some parts of that are debatable.  And due to extinctions we don't have to dodge dinosaurs on our morning commute.

Personally, I am all for protecting any species that DESERVES protection...whether for economic or esoteric reasons.  But when it comes to June Suckers I have never been among the huge crowds protesting for their protection.  Junies were a big thing to the early settlers in Utah...providing much needed protein during the lean times.  But since then they have declined in importance.  Now they are only one of the several forage species in Utah Lake.  And spending millions of dollars to try to save them...just because it's "the right thing to do" seems silly.

Part of the lessons I learned early in life...both from family and from school classes...was that one of the keys to survival (human) was to be able to use sound reasoning in problem solving...and to accept those things that were impossible to change and to "go with it".  June suckers are unique...only by being found in only one place in the world.  But, if they were to be allowed to decline and perish naturally there would not be the slightest blip on the world screen.  What's next?  A Trump tariff on them?

Sorry, Junie huggers.
 

By far Im not a junie hugger, never even seen one to know to put it back,  dont think they like jigs and cranks,  How ever, the one thing the junnies did do is bring fed money in to reduce the carp population, thats a far better place to spend our money than some of the things we are seeing they spending it on. which interns help with the stuff that we like to fish for, otherwise you know the eyes and cats would never get any help. and if the dnr is willing to feed the eyes Im all for it, 

[TubeDude]

By far Im not a junie hugger, never even seen one to know to put it back,  dont think they like jigs and cranks,  How ever, the one thing the junnies did do is bring fed money in to reduce the carp population, thats a far better place to spend our money than some of the things we are seeing they spending it on. which interns help with the stuff that we like to fish for, otherwise you know the eyes and cats would never get any help. and if the dnr is willing to feed the eyes Im all for it, 

There are a few fellow wallieholics that laughingly refer to the Junie Program as the "walleye supplemental feeding program"...and the newly released Junettes as "Purina Walleye Chow".

[Mildog]

Love all the comments. An old friend who has passed had a great line on species going extinct.
He would say more species have gone extinct than exist on the earth today , before man started meddling with it, and the earth keeps going on its “Plan”

WHAT IF WE SAVE ONE THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO GO AWAY???

And we mess everything up? How do we know which to save and which to let go away?
??????

Food for thought always made me laugh and think. He was a great and funny guy.
Sadly he is now extinct. I miss him!!!

[Fowl-Hook]

Good points.  Anyone who is the least bit environmentally conscious hates to see any species...bug, bird, snake or animal...forever eradicated from the earth.  And it is especially concerning when that loss is due to human mismanagement of the environment.  But it does happen...and loss of species is a big part of the earth's history.  For us, that's a good thing.  Thankfully the evolutionary process brought the human species up to where we are today...although some parts of that are debatable.  And due to extinctions we don't have to dodge dinosaurs on our morning commute.

Personally, I am all for protecting any species that DESERVES protection...whether for economic or esoteric reasons.  But when it comes to June Suckers I have never been among the huge crowds protesting for their protection.  Junies were a big thing to the early settlers in Utah...providing much needed protein during the lean times.  But since then they have declined in importance.  Now they are only one of the several forage species in Utah Lake.  And spending millions of dollars to try to save them...just because it's "the right thing to do" seems silly.

Part of the lessons I learned early in life...both from family and from school classes...was that one of the keys to survival (human) was to be able to use sound reasoning in problem solving...and to accept those things that were impossible to change and to "go with it".  June suckers are unique...only by being found in only one place in the world.  But, if they were to be allowed to decline and perish naturally there would not be the slightest blip on the world screen.  What's next?  A Trump tariff on them?

Sorry, Junie huggers.
 

The same government agencies throwing our money at the June Sucker will throw a lot more at genetically modifying the Quagga mussel to extinction, must be a different set of rules or just hypocrisy.

[joshomaru]

June sucker is native to Utah Lake; the quagga mussel is not native to the many waters it is infecting. June suckers also don't foul up pumps and equipment.
So, yeah, different set of rules!

[chubby chaser]

wow, looks like most of the catch are pike now. Seems like they're pretty well established at this point.

[Therapist]

So for those of you who have not been around for the "June Sucker fiasco ?? " here is a bit more information. When the sucker was first listed, one of the proposed "solutions" was to poison the whole lake and restock with just "JUnies". US Fish and Wildlife were really pushing that and were threatening to carry it out if the other projects to "recover" the sucker did not pan out. Why do you think they have spent 10's of millions of dollars on things like netting carp, diverting the Provo River, establishing a "June Sucker Hatchery" !! All those efforts were to try and ward off eliminating all the other fish in the pond. When the Northern's were first discovered, there were calls to do the drastic deed, and I would bet that there are still some at USFWS that still have that mindset. So don't get to smug and clap each other on the back, because USFWS still has the final say on the outcome on the lake and things can still go in the toilet !!! The introduction of Northern's into Utah Lake was and is a DISASTER that has yet to be dealt with !!!

By the way, TD's take on the Junies is by far the correct one !! They have not been and will not be worth the money spent on them. The only good that has come from that program has been to "slightly" improve the habitat in Utah Lake. The carp effort did some good, but was abandoned before it could really do any permeant damage to the carp population. The effort on the Provo River has yet to be fully evaluated, so unless the Hatchery program is a roaring success, you may still see calls to eliminate everything and start over !! Glad I won't be around to see the disaster carried out !! Where oh where is Elon Musk !!!

[SqMeadows]

I'm with y'all on the Junies.  I really don't see what value they bring to the ecosystem, as their niche is filled by other fish that out compete them.  

My oldest daughter is obsessed with wanting to catch pike.  Any suggestions on where she might be able to get at them from the shore?  It seems most of the lake shore is either inaccessible or very marshy.