TROUT UNLIMITED VOLUNTEERS TO TRANSPLANT SALMON FLIES FROM THE BLACKSMITH FORK RIVER TO THE LOGAN RIVER
A group of volunteers from the Cache Anglers Trout Unlimited chapter will spend part of a day collecting and releasing several thousand salmon flies to help improve the health of the Logan River.
The volunteers will gather on Saturday, April 23 at 10:00 a.m. at the mouth of the Blacksmith Fork Canyon. There they will collect the salmon flies using nets and screens and then transport them to the Logan River where they will be released.
The insects were once abundant in the Logan River, but havent been found there since 1966. However, they are still very common in the Blacksmith Fork River – the Logan Rivers largest tributary stream.
The demise of the salmon fly in the Logan River is a mystery, although some theorize that it may be due to unknown chemical pollutants in the river.
Salmon flies can reach two inches in length. They are an important food source for coldwater fish species like trout and salmon and their presence is an indicator of good water quality and stream health.
The Trout Unlimited volunteers have been working in conjunction with Utah State University to transport the insect back into the Logan River and then to track the success of its reintroduction. With the consent of the US Forest Service and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, the four year project calls for two relocations each year. The first occurred in December 2004.
Additional information on the project is available on the web at http://www.usu.edu/buglab/projects/project Salmonfly.htm.