The Great Salt Lake may be Utah's largest body of water, but its resources are certainly not limitless.
Case in point: To protect the lake's brine shrimp from possible overharvest, the Division of Wildlife Resources last week declared an emergency closure on the brine season - the earliest closure ever and just three weeks into the annual harvest.The closure took effect Oct. 27. The brine harvest opened Oct. 1 and traditionally runs through Jan. 31.
"We're not entirely certain why, but this is a year that's different from what we've seen," said Paul Birdsey, Great Salt Lake aquatics biologist with the state. "(The brine) didn't seem to fare as well as in the past."
He said the closure was prompted to ensure there will be enough eggs left next spring to start a new crop. Besides less brine eggs this season, the brine shrimp were also lower in quality.
This is the second consecutive short brine season at the Great Salt Lake. Last year the season was closed at the end of November.
Birdsey said there are three basic theories for brine fluctuations.
One is a nutritional problem because of a change in the algae and ecosystem. Another is the warmer than usual temperatures for the year. The third is a change in the lake's salinity, tied to last spring's high runoff.
"We're new to the game," Birdsey admitted, with the state having only monitored the brine for three seasons now.
Birdsey said most brine harvesters are ecologically sensitive and support the early closure. He said there's no evidence of overharvesting. Brine populations are simply down.
Brine shrimp are the only complex organism living in the Great Salt Lake and are an important food source for birds. Since brine eat algae, they also prevent an algae buildup in the lake - which has no outlet.
Brine have been harvested since 1950. The harvested product is mostly sold to prawn farms in Asia, but a small percentage goes to fish farms worldwide. The state issues 79 shrimping licenses and they are distributed between 32 companies.
There was initially a chance this year's brine shrimp harvest could resume later in season - if brine numbers increased. However, Birdsey said that isn't the case and the season is definitely over.