Jump High, Dive Deep: Utah Wildlife Authorities Drop Fish into Lakes From Planes

How does one repopulate high-mountain lakes with new fish? Using planes, of course! Just drop them from the sky! This sounds like a joke, but it is an actual method used in Utah.

Authorities in Utah have opted for such a strange method because it is actually safer than transporting the fish by car. Transporting the creatures by car is a long and arduous process that actually causes a lot of dangerous stress to the fish.

"Because of their small size (reduced mass), the process of dropping doesn't hurt the fish," the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources wrote on Twitter. "Think of it as a high diver diving into a deep pool of water."

Well, sounds really cool — as long as those little guys are happy and ready for their big life to start with a skydiving lesson.

Fun fact: We stock many of Utah's high-mountain lakes from the air. The fish are tiny — anywhere from 1–3 inches long — which allows more than 95% of them to survive the fall. #Utah #TroutTuesday pic.twitter.com/kotDe91Zzw

— Utah DWR (@UtahDWR) 21 августа 2018 г.