(CNN) A few times a year over Utah’s mountainous lakes, it rains fish. Fish are not meant to fly, of course, but when the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources needs to restock the state’s high-elevation lakes and streams with tiny trout, it will often dump them from a low-flying plane into the water over 100 feet below.
Why are fish dropped from plane?
It has been a common practice for more than half a century. And it’s been done by plane mostly
because these lakes are actually not accessible by vehicles or other means of stocking because they’re really remote, and they’re really high elevation lakes
.
Do planes drop fish into lakes?
The airplane can hold up to 35,000 fish and hundreds of pounds of water
, the division said in a Facebook post. The method was used to reach lakes not accessible by vehicle and other means of stocking. “Aerial fish stocking in Utah is an effective method of stocking and has been since the mid 1950s.
Why does Utah drop fish out of planes?
The planes used in the operation can carry up to 35,000 fish, according to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. The fish are kept alive in hundreds of pounds of water carried on the plane.
The restocking method is used to reach lakes that cannot be accessed by land vehicles or other more traditional methods
.
How many fish survive planes drop?
They’ve been using airplanes to drop fish into the water since the 1950s, and it’s estimated that
over 95%
of the fish survive and thrive after their plunge from the air.
Why do lakes need to be restocked?
Stocking them into lakes, rivers, and streams
can support existing populations that are threatened and reduce the number of endangered or extirpated species
. Many of the fish commonly used for stocking also have low reproductive rates and tend to be overfished if not stocked annually.
How do you stock a lake with fish?
Normally fish stocking is done
with the help of trucks that transport fish to a river or a lake, and then dump it into the water through a pipe system
.
How lakes are stocked in Utah?
How many lakes are stocked this way in Utah?
More than 300 lakes are aerially stocked in Utah each year
. These lakes range in size from smaller than 5 acres up to 500 acres. These lakes are not accessible by vehicles or other means of stocking.
What is a fish cannon?
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