Reservoirs have become man-made fish habitats and could be the key to conservation efforts
A new study looks into how many fish are in reservoirs across the U.S., and what role these ecosystems could play in conservation and food security. For decades, dams have been built on most major rivers, creating thousands of man-made reservoirs – and fish habitats. In fact, 7.7 billion pounds of fish are being held in the nation’s reservoirs, according to a study from the University of California, Davis that was published in the journal Scientific Reports. Researchers found that most states have a fish stock of at least 220 million pounds. Texas leads the country with more than 700 million pounds of fish, followed by Arkansas with about 440 million pounds. In the Mountain West, Idaho and New Mexico each have around 220 million pounds of fish in their reservoirs. Wyoming, Colorado and Nevada are just below that mark, and Utah has about half that amount.