Fishing limits lifted at some reservoirs in the West expected to run dry due to drought

Wildlife officials in Colorado and Oregon are allowing people to fish as much as as they want at some reservoirs that are expected to run dry because of drought.

Fish all you want — they’re doomed either way. That’s the bleak message wildlife officials have given at a handful of reservoirs across Colorado and Oregon.

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Both states face stark drought forecasts, with some reservoirs expected to run dry by summer’s end. Given that water managers don’t expect water supplies — or, consequently, the fish that rely on them — to last in those locations, officials have taken special administrative action to remove limits for anglers.

“We have a number of reservoirs that we expect to get exceptionally low this year,” said Tyler Hoyt, an assistant district fish biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. “We took a proactive approach this year and opened the seasons up early to allow anglers to go out and make use of those fish.”