The June sucker, named for its annual June spawning run, is endemic to Utah Lake. This means there are no other places in Utah or the world where June sucker live naturally. The June sucker numbers have gone from millions in the early 1800s, to a natural population of less than 1,000 today.
The June sucker was federally listed as an endangered species with critical habitat in April 1986. Factors contributing to its endangered status include impacts to its natural habitat, water development, and predation or competition with nonnative fish. The June sucker was listed as endangered due to its localized distribution, failure to recruit new adult fish to the population, and because of threats to its continued survival. In an effort to ensure against the threat of extinction the June Sucker Recovery Implementation Program was established.
