Utah has grown from a lightly populated western state to the sixth most urbanized state in the nation with a rapidly growing population. In spite of all the challenges that fisheries managers face today, fishing in Utah may have never been better overall than is has been in the 1990s. Fisheries managers are going to continue to face challenges and changes in the new century. Greater emphasis on native species will mean more opportunities for anglers to catch Bonneville and Colorado River cutthroat trout. In the last 10 years, Utah s fisheries managers have been working hard to expand native cutthroat trout back into streams and lakes they historically occupied.
Much more work needs to be done.
Native non-game fishes are also getting much more attention. This will limit management options for fisheries managers. Some species of non-native game fish will not be stocked because of their impacts on recovery of native fishes. But with Utah s altered and impounded streams many of our fisheries will continue to be sustained by stocking of hatchery raised fish. In spite of all the changes and challenges that fisheries managers face, the future of sport fishing in Utah remains bright. .