Utah's Native Fish Recovery Program: June Sucker, Razorback Sucker, and Bonytail Chub

Utah Lake alone has received over 900,000 June suckers in recorded stocking — a federally endangered fish found nowhere else on Earth. Alongside June sucker, Utah's Division of Wildlife Resources also stocks razorback sucker and bonytail chub, two more Colorado River basin natives pushed to the edge of extinction. None of this is sport fishing. It's some of the most sustained native-species recovery work in this dataset.

Key takeaways

• Utah Lake has received over 900,000 stocked June suckers across 341 recorded events — the core of the June Sucker Recovery Implementation Program.
• Bonytail chub, one of the rarest fish in North America, has been stocked into the Green and Colorado rivers over 700,000 times combined since 1988.
• Razorback sucker stocking is smaller in scale (just over 21,000 fish) but spans nearly two decades in the Green River and Lake Powell.
• All three species are federally endangered, and none support a legal sport fishery — angling encounters are incidental, not the point of the program.
• June sucker stocking is still active as of 2024; bonytail chub stocking continued into 2023; razorback sucker's most recent recorded release was 2017.

Why Utah Stocks Fish That Aren't for Fishing

June sucker, razorback sucker, and bonytail chub are all native to the Colorado River basin and all federally listed as endangered — casualties of dams, water diversion, and non-native species introduced over the past century. Utah's stocking program for these three species exists to rebuild wild populations under federal recovery plans, not to create anything an angler would target. Where these species turn up in the same water as a sport fishery, they're simply part of the ecosystem an angler shares, not a catch.

June Sucker: Endemic to Utah Lake

June sucker exists naturally in exactly one place on Earth — Utah Lake and its tributaries — which makes its recovery program uniquely tied to a single water:

• Utah Lake — 341 recorded stockings totaling over 909,000 June suckers, the most recent in 2024.
• Mona Reservoir — 13 recorded stockings totaling over 55,000 June suckers, last recorded in 2008.
• Provo River — 39 recorded stockings totaling over 27,500 June suckers, last recorded in 2008 — a key spawning tributary of Utah Lake.
• Red Butte Reservoir — 10 recorded stockings totaling nearly 19,000 June suckers, last recorded in 2013.

The June Sucker Recovery Implementation Program is one of Utah's flagship native-fish conservation efforts, and the Utah Lake numbers above — nearly 342 separate stocking events — reflect a genuinely sustained, decades-long restoration effort rather than a one-time reintroduction.

Bonytail Chub: One of North America's Rarest Fish

Bonytail chub stocking is spread across the main-stem rivers of the Colorado River basin:

• Green River — 56 recorded stockings totaling over 350,000 bonytail chub, the most recent in 2021.
• Lake Powell — 11 recorded stockings totaling nearly 154,000 bonytail chub, most recently in 2023.
• Colorado River — 32 recorded stockings totaling nearly 148,000 bonytail chub, most recently in 2022.
• Dolores River and San Rafael River — smaller programs totaling roughly 28,000 and 20,000 bonytail chub respectively.

Bonytail chub is considered one of the rarest freshwater fish in North America; wild reproduction is essentially absent in most of its historic range, which is why hatchery stocking is the primary tool keeping the species from disappearing entirely.

Razorback Sucker: A Smaller, Slower Recovery Effort

Razorback sucker stocking is the smallest of the three programs by volume, limited to the Green River (21,065 fish across 7 events, 1998–2006) and Lake Powell (186 fish across 2 events, ending in 2017). Both waters are part of the same broader Colorado River Fish Recovery Program that supports bonytail chub.

What This Means If You're Fishing These Waters

Utah Lake, the Green River, Lake Powell, and the Colorado River all support real sport fisheries alongside these recovery programs — walleye and catfish in Utah Lake, for instance. If you hook a June sucker, razorback sucker, or bonytail chub incidentally, check current Utah DWR regulations before handling or releasing it; all three are federally protected, and improper handling of an endangered species can carry real legal consequences even when the catch was unintentional.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I keep a June sucker, razorback sucker, or bonytail chub if I catch one?

No — all three are federally endangered species with no legal harvest. If you incidentally catch one while fishing Utah Lake, the Green River, or the Colorado River, check current Utah DWR guidance on proper handling and release.

Why is June sucker only found in Utah Lake?

June sucker evolved in isolation in the Utah Lake basin and has no naturally occurring population anywhere else. That makes Utah Lake and its spawning tributaries, like the Provo River, the entire natural range of the species — and the sole focus of its recovery program.

Is Utah's native fish recovery stocking still active?

Yes for June sucker and bonytail chub, with releases recorded as recently as 2024 and 2023 respectively. Razorback sucker stocking has been smaller and less frequent, with its most recent recorded release in 2017.

What's driving the decline of these Colorado River basin natives?

Dams and water diversion that altered natural flow and temperature patterns, combined with competition and predation from non-native fish introduced over the past century, are the primary drivers behind the endangered status of June sucker, razorback sucker, and bonytail chub.