08-12-2019, 07:29 PM
[#0000FF]I had asked a followup question to Chris Penne, of DWR, about the existence of bullheads in Mantua. He got back in his office and this is his response.[/#0000FF]
[#0000FF] [/#0000FF]
Seems like bullheads have been in Mantua since 2017.. I'm not sure how they got in as each potential scenario seems about as likely as the other. Here are some potential routes:
[ul][li] Illegal introduction - this is still kind of a head scratcher as I don't know who would want bullheads as their choice of illegal introduction. That said, I'm sure there's someone out there that does.[/li][/ul]
[ul][li]Natural migration into the reservoir. There's a couple ways this could have happened:[/li]
[ul][li]1st way: Mantua used to have bullheads in it prior to the last rotentone treatment to remove Utah Chub. During the treatment, they/we tried to kill the "Knoll Pond" on the east side of the reservoir but were unsuccessful due to heavy inflow from underground springs. It could be they've been in the Knoll Pond all this time and recently made their way into the reservoir after the heavy snowpack in 2017. It may also be that someone caught some out of the Knoll Pond and just walked them over to the reservoir.[/li][li]2nd way: Bullheads are present in Pioneer Park Pond in Brigham City. The pond in Brigham City is connected to Mantua Reservoir by Box Elder Creek. It's possible bullheads moved up the creek one year or over multiple years and then made their way into the reservoir. It's only a 600-foot climb in elevation from Brigham City to Mantua, so it's not as steep of a climb as one would think. Interestingly, I scouted the potential path and they wouldn't have had to make their way through the dam. If they take the right route, they can get into Maple Creek on the south side of the reservoir without hitting any major obstructions. [/li][/ul][/ul]
It's a bummer, but at this point we consider them part of the fish community. The present conditions in Mantua don't seem too conducive to bullheads really taking over the place, so we're not too concerned at the moment. That said, if conditions change things could tip in their favor. For now though, I'm thinking it will be more like Pineview where they will be play a more minor role in the fish community.
Chris
[#0000FF][/#0000FF]
[signature]
[#0000FF] [/#0000FF]
Seems like bullheads have been in Mantua since 2017.. I'm not sure how they got in as each potential scenario seems about as likely as the other. Here are some potential routes:
[ul][li] Illegal introduction - this is still kind of a head scratcher as I don't know who would want bullheads as their choice of illegal introduction. That said, I'm sure there's someone out there that does.[/li][/ul]
[ul][li]Natural migration into the reservoir. There's a couple ways this could have happened:[/li]
[ul][li]1st way: Mantua used to have bullheads in it prior to the last rotentone treatment to remove Utah Chub. During the treatment, they/we tried to kill the "Knoll Pond" on the east side of the reservoir but were unsuccessful due to heavy inflow from underground springs. It could be they've been in the Knoll Pond all this time and recently made their way into the reservoir after the heavy snowpack in 2017. It may also be that someone caught some out of the Knoll Pond and just walked them over to the reservoir.[/li][li]2nd way: Bullheads are present in Pioneer Park Pond in Brigham City. The pond in Brigham City is connected to Mantua Reservoir by Box Elder Creek. It's possible bullheads moved up the creek one year or over multiple years and then made their way into the reservoir. It's only a 600-foot climb in elevation from Brigham City to Mantua, so it's not as steep of a climb as one would think. Interestingly, I scouted the potential path and they wouldn't have had to make their way through the dam. If they take the right route, they can get into Maple Creek on the south side of the reservoir without hitting any major obstructions. [/li][/ul][/ul]
It's a bummer, but at this point we consider them part of the fish community. The present conditions in Mantua don't seem too conducive to bullheads really taking over the place, so we're not too concerned at the moment. That said, if conditions change things could tip in their favor. For now though, I'm thinking it will be more like Pineview where they will be play a more minor role in the fish community.
Chris
[#0000FF][/#0000FF]
[signature]