Utahs aquatic animal health and research center is designed to provide administrative research and aquatic animal health services for the utah division of wildlife resources

Grant Award Summary

Utah's Division of Wildlife Resources received $1.001M in formula grant funding from the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service under the Sport Fish Restoration program (CFDA 15.605) for the period July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. The funding supports the Utah's Aquatic Animal Health and Research Center, which delivers administrative research and aquatic animal health services to advance the state's fisheries management objectives. The center operates two primary functional areas: a research program providing applied fisheries research methods to address needs associated with Utah's sportfish and native species recovery programs, and an animal health program delivering diagnostic and inspection services for statewide monitoring, pathogen management, and disease response across state fish culture facilities and managed waters.

The center's work generates data-driven recommendations and management guidance that enable regional and statewide aquatic resource biologists to meet conservation and management goals, promote healthy fish populations, enhance recreational sport fisheries, and improve overall conservation efforts throughout Utah. This funding supports continuous operations of research and diagnostic capabilities that have been developed since the 1960s and formally established as a dedicated research program since 1986, positioning the center as a critical resource for aquatic species management and habitat protection aligned with regional and statewide priorities.

Much of this work is directed toward identifying and implementing broad scale priorities to help protect conserve and manage aquatic species and their habitats in accordance with regional and statewide objectives. The centers research program has been actively involved in fisheries research since 1986 although informal research has been conducted at the location since the early 1960S. Currently the program provides applied research methods to address needs associated with utahs sportfish and native recovery programs. The centers animal health program plays an extensive role in addressing aquatic animal health issues for both state fish culture facilities and managed waters. This section includes diagnostic and inspection services geared toward statewide monitoring quick response timely reporting and management of fish pathogens within biological and legal requirements for all sportfish and conservation species needs.results and benefits from this work include data driven recommendations for regional and statewide aquatic section biologist to meet management goals promote healthy fish populations enhance sport fisheries and improve conservation efforts throughout utah.