Native Utah Fish
The aquarium set-up was the Senior project for Weber State University Engineering and Technology students. Completion was in 2010. There are 8 to 10 Utah fish species living in the aquarium at any given time. All native Utah cold water fish: Speckled Dace, Long-nosed Dace, Red Shiners, Rainbow Trout, Utahn Chubs, Least Chub, Leatherside Chubs, Cutthroat Trout, and Mottled Sculpin.
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Aquatic Division provides the fish and The Utah Division of Natural Resources authorizes us to display these live fish under a legal permit.
Fascinating Facts:
Utah’s streams are full of fascinating fish! Tiny speckled dace use their spotted patterns to blend into rocky streambeds, while longnose dace use their pointed snouts to stay close to the bottom in fast-moving water. Flashy red shiners can turn bright red during breeding season, and energetic rainbow trout are known for the pink stripe along their sides and their famous leaps from the water. Utah chubs are common lake fish that will eat just about anything, while the rare least chub is an important native species found only in Utah. Shimmering leatherside chubs glow bronze in the sunlight, and cutthroat trout are easy to spot thanks to the bright red “slash” marks under their jaws. Hiding among the rocks, mottled sculpins sit quietly on the stream bottom with their big heads and fan-like fins, looking a bit like tiny underwater frogs!
