Early settlers relied on natural resources to put food on their tables. Even 20 years ago most sport fish caught were harvested by the angler. Today it s cheaper to go to the supermarket and buy fish than it is to drive 50 or 100 miles each way to catch a mess of trout. A new Conservation Ethic is putting greater emphasis on conserving wildlife and managing for native species rather than just providing sport fisheries for harvest. Angling interests are much more diverse.
Trout are still the most important species in Utah.
Today fisheries managers are expected to provide fisheries for fly fishers, trophy lake trout fishers, native cutthroat fishers, etc. No longer is a trout a trout. Some anglers still want to harvest lots of fish while others think every fish should be released. 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.