Almost two years ago, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stopped stocking trout in the Colorado River.
That decision is having an unforeseen effect on Laughlin – an explosion in the caddisfly population.
Laughlin is being over-run by swarms of flies that look like small moths.
Officials in Mohave County, Arizona have pledged $50,000 to buy trout at $2 a fish from Colorado to stock the river, according Julie Fairman the editor at the Laughlin Times.
She said that Clark County Commission will consider adding money to the effort during a meeting Tuesday.
Fairman said the problem started when the Willow Beach fish hatchery closed down.
"The fact that there are not as many trout in the river has tipped the scales and the caddisflies are taking over," she explained.
The flies swarm in the thousands in the morning and again in the evening, covering walls and windows. They don't bite, but are annoying locals and tourists alike.
"It is having a detrimental effect on both the casinos and other businesses that rely upon the river," Fairman said. "We have river taxis, water tour companies and so forth and they're all being effected by the infestation of caddisflies."
Fairman said the hatchery will reopen next year, which will hopefully solve the caddisfly problem over the long term.
Julie Fairman, editor, Laughlin Times
