Algal blooms pose a concern for duck hunting season

SALT LAKE CITY — It’s duck hunting season, and above average temperatures means that algal blooms are still a concern in Utah’s waters.

Specifically, hunters should be aware of algal bloom before they take their dogs hunting with them. There have been cases of hunting dogs getting sick or even dying after eating some of the algal mat.

Utah Division of Wildlife Services spokesperson Faith Heaton Jolley says that hunters should examine the water for algal bloom before letting their dogs tag along.

“The toxins in harmful algal blooms… have proven to be fatal to pets and dogs in particular,” she said. “Dogs have been exposed to toxins in the past by swallowing water or licking water off their hair.”

If you know what algal blooms look like, it’s easy to spot them. 

“The water’s green and it has the appearance of pea soup or spilled paint or grass clippings… Sometimes it’ll get kind of clumpy in the water,” Jolley said. 

Even when it starts getting cooler outside, it does not mean that all the algal blooms will disappear.

Hunters are encouraged to check the Utah Division of Water Quality website for the latest conditions of where they’re headed.

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