(WSVN) - Wildlife officials in Utah are using planes to stock their high-mountain lakes with fish.
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources shared video to Twitter, showing how the 1 to 3-inch-long trout are released into the water by being dropped from the air.
Fun fact: We stock many of Utah's high-mountain lakes from the air. The fish are tiny — anywhere from 1–3 inches long — which allows more than 95% of them to survive the fall. #Utah #TroutTuesday pic.twitter.com/kotDe91Zzw
— UtahDWR (@UtahDWR) August 21, 2018
Officials say the unusual method has a higher survival rate than if they were transported by ground, noting the tiny size of the fish allows over 95 percent of them to survive the fall.
“Because of their small size (reduced mass), the process of dropping doesn’t hurt the fish,” Utah DWR wrote on Twitter. “Think of it as a high diver diving into a deep pool of water.”
When asked why the trout’s survival rate is lower by ground, they responded, “Transporting the fish by ground takes a lot longer and it’s much more stressful on the fish. The survival rate is much higher from the air — usually between 95-99 percent.”
Transporting the fish by ground takes a lot longer and, it's much more stressful on the fish. The survival rate is much higher from the air — usually between 95–99%.
— UtahDWR (@UtahDWR) August 22, 2018
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.