The first push in what many hope is the "domino effect" for Utah fish hatcheries was taken Thursday with a half-dozen shovels-full of dirt turned near one of the spillways at the Kamas hatchery.
For years, the fishing community has struggled to turn around rapidly deteriorating fish hatcheries in Utah. Groundbreaking ceremonies at the Kamas hatchery signal the beginning."I couldn't be happier. This is what it's all about," said Joe Valentine, program coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. "Finally, we're turning words to action. From here on out things are going to get better.
"What you see here is my poster child. This hatchery was in the worst shape. It isn't even safe for the employees. The cement is crumbling, and there's rebar sticking out all over. This is an extremely important move for fishermen."
Work on the hatchery will begin in July. It will take about one year to complete. Everything will be torn down and replaced.
Money for the project, estimated at around $6 million, came from a partnership agreement between the Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission (75 percent) and the DWR (25 percent).
The Kamas hatchery has been one of the most important in Utah's fish-planting system. It supplies fish to the Uinta lakes, Strawberry Reservoir and the Upper Provo.
Its annual capacity is currently between 70,000 and 80,000 pounds or about 1.6 million fish - rainbow, brook, cutthroat and grayling. With the new facility, the poundage will increase to 120,000-140,000 pounds or around 2.8 million fish. This will increase the cash return to the state from around $2.3 million to around $4.7 million.
Since 1930, when the hatchery first began to produce fish, Valentine figures it has delivered more than 92 million fish and generated more than 11.5 million days of fishing for anglers. He placed the hatchery's recreational value at more than $155 million.
The ultimate objective of this restoration plan, first introduced four years ago before the Legislature, is to remodel all 10 of Utah's hatcheries.
"Which is imperative," said Bob Valentine, former director of the DWR and one of the key figures in acquiring funding for the project. "With the population growth in Utah we will need to double our hatchery production in the next 25 years just to stay even."
Studies show that about 70 percent of the fishing done by Utahns is on flat water or reservoirs that have no natural reproduction and therefore rely on planted fish.
During ceremonies, DWR director John Kimball said this was the first step toward bringing Utah aquaculture "into the next century."
Along with Bob Valentine, Kimball singled out Ron Johnston, CUP program manager for the Department of Interior, J. Collin Allan with the Utah Wildlife Board and Rep. Gerry Adair as among those who helped get the bill passed.
"We're two years behind from the standpoint of where I would like to be, but it's done and we're not going back. I remember getting a report on the Kamas hatchery and realizing then what a travesty it was that nothing was in place to renovate and improve the hatchery. No one can argue that the hatcheries are in trouble. Hopefully, this is the first step toward solving the problem," said Bob Valentine.
"We realized in the beginning there was $22 million available from the (URMCC) fund to renovate hatcheries. I thought that with that much money we could do all of the state hatcheries and have some left to help the (Indian) and the federal hatcheries. I soon realized that wouldn't be possible."
Design work is under way for the Glenwood hatchery with work planned within the next year.
While the Kamas hatchery is being rebuilt, fish for the Uintas, Strawberry and Provo River will be drawn from other hatcheries.
A DWR spokesman said fishermen shouldn't notice any change in fishing opportunity because of the rebuilding project.