Home / Environment / Drought Drains Reservoirs: Fish Limits Lifted in CO, OR
Drought Drains Reservoirs: Fish Limits Lifted in CO, OR
3 Jun
Summary
- Some reservoirs face drying up by summer's end due to drought.
- Officials lifted fishing limits in Oregon and Colorado reservoirs.
- Water diversion to combat evaporation also impacts fish populations.
With stark drought forecasts across Colorado and Oregon, wildlife officials have removed fishing limits in several reservoirs anticipating they will run dry by summer's end. Tyler Hoyt of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife noted a proactive approach, opening seasons early to allow anglers to make use of fish in reservoirs storing water from the Powder River. In Colorado, similar unlimited fishing periods were implemented for Antero Reservoir and will begin on Nee Noshe Reservoir.
These measures stem from a historic snow drought impacting Western states, leading reservoir operators to expect some water storage bodies to dry up completely. To mitigate evaporation, water is being deliberately moved, with fish populations in affected reservoirs becoming collateral damage. Oregon lifted bag limits and rod restrictions for Thief Valley, Pilcher Creek, and Wolf Creek reservoirs, anticipating they will drain to small ponds by summer's end, a situation mirroring Thief Valley Reservoir's drying in 2024.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife officer Kara Van Hoose confirmed public access closure for Antero Reservoir as draining begins to redirect water and reduce evaporation. Denver Water aims to save water equivalent to 2,500 Olympic swimming pools. Biologists are attempting fish salvage through screening and electrofishing, but acknowledge some fish will perish, becoming food for local wildlife. This isn't unprecedented, as Antero Reservoir underwent a similar 'fish salvage' in 2015 and a brief open fishing period in response to drought in 2002.
Utah has also increased fish take limits from Crouse and Nine Mile reservoirs. Across the West, snowpack runoff, typically comprising 53% of the water supply, has drastically diminished. Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico reported their lowest peak snowpack levels ever, with Colorado and Oregon experiencing widespread drought conditions. Climate models predict a continued decline in snowpack due to intensifying climate change effects.
