Invasive Northern Pike, Esox lucius, Telemetry in Utah Lake

Authors: Wes Franklin, Bryan Kesner, Paul Marsh

Year: 2023

Abstract

Utah Lake is home to an endemic population of June Sucker, Chasmistes liorus. A decline in the June Sucker population led U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the species as endangered in 1986. Extensive recovery efforts by the interagency group “June Sucker Recovery Implementation Program” (JSRIP), led to June Sucker being reclassified from endangered to threatened in 2021. Illegal introduction of Northern Pike, Esox lucius, into Utah Lake in early to mid-2000s may jeopardize June Sucker recovery. Presence of Northern Pike in Utah Lake was confirmed in sampling by Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) in 2011. Because of the substantial threat Northern Pike pose to recovery, it was determined that research and monitoring for Northern Pike in Utah Lake should be initiated to a) identify Northern Pike spawning sites and aggregations; b) identify the best capture methods, and ultimately, control measures; and c) evaluate potential impact of Northern Pike on the June Sucker population. In 2021, a three-year research project was initiated by JSRIP in collaboration with Marsh & Associates and UDWR. This project implements a combination of acoustic and radio tracking, larval trapping, PIT tag monitoring, and observation to describe Northern Pike movement, habitat use, congregational behavior, and spawning behavior in Utah Lake. The presentation includes data and results from 2.5 years of project work. To date, 43 Northern Pike have been tagged in Utah Lake. Current results show locations where Northern Pike are contacted and caught most including Provo River, Hobble Creek, Lincoln Beach & the Utah Lake State Park jetties as well as the months in which Northern Pike are contacted most (March – May).