Wildlife officials in Utah have released footage of how they restock their remote mountain lakes with fish – by dropping them out of aeroplanes. In the video, shared by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, trout can be seen spilling from the bottom of an aircraft in a billowing stream of water. Falling through the air and into the lake below, the DWR claim that at least 95% of the animals survive due to their small size.
According to Live Science, the pilot flies just above the tree line to drop the fish, or as low as possible while considering other natural barriers like cliffs and mountains. Netting surveys, carried out after the aerial plunge, also indicate the fish are unharmed by the venture. More than 200 of Utah’s remote mountain lakes are stocked every year using this aerial fish-drop method.