The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is proposing an experimental introduction of white sturgeon into Hobbs Reservoir in Davis County and Grantsville Reservoir in Tooele County, with 100 fish split roughly evenly between the two waterbodies. If the plan is approved, fishing for white sturgeon at both reservoirs would be catch-and-release only.
The proposal is aimed at testing whether the species can be added to more Utah waters as the agency looks for new ways to manage fisheries under changing water conditions. Craig Walker, a DWR fisheries biologist, said the agency is exploring white sturgeon to increase species diversity in Utah fisheries and create new angling opportunities for people who prefer lakes with multiple fish species.
The sturgeon plan is only part of the package now under review. The agency is also proposing updates to wildlife and waterfowl management area rules so they line up with recent legislative changes that will gradually broaden who can access those lands and how. Chelsea Duke, speaking for the agency, said wildlife management areas and waterfowl management areas are primarily funded by the sale of Utah hunting and fishing licenses and permits, and that the properties are the only public state lands in Utah whose sole purpose is enhancing and protecting wildlife resources.
Those lands, Duke said, help conserve critical wildlife habitat, reduce conflicts between wildlife and private landowners and give Utahns places to hunt, fish and take part in other wildlife-based recreation. A law passed by the Utah Legislature in 2025 required anyone 18 years old or older to have a hunting, fishing or combination license to enter a wildlife management area or waterfowl management area in Davis, Salt Lake, Utah and Weber counties. New legislation passed during the 2026 legislative session changed that approach, allowing people without a hunting, fishing or combination license to watch an educational video and obtain a free digital access permit.
That new legislation takes effect July 1, 2026, and the access requirements will apply first to WMAs in class one and class two counties. By July 1, 2027, they will extend to first-, second-, third- and fourth-class counties, and by July 1, 2028, they will be in effect for all WMAs in Utah. The legislation also gives people the option to donate money toward conservation or habitat projects on a specific WMA. The immediate question for the agency is whether the experimental white sturgeon stocking can work as planned while the state simultaneously rewrites how Utahns enter and support the lands that protect wildlife in the first place.
