Silver Carp at Lake Michigan's doorstep

[taxid]

Huge, invasive flying carp gain ground in fight for lakes
Aggressive fish sneak closer to Lake Michigan, despite barrier
BY TINA LAM
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

Operators of an electric barrier built on a Chicago canal to keep large flying Asian carp out of Lake Michigan have turned up the juice after genetic testing showed evidence of silver carp 5 miles from the barrier -- much closer than previously thought.
"These carp are clawing at the door now," said Marc Gaden, spokesman for the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, which deals with invasive species in the Great Lakes.
Voracious eaters, the carp feed on tiny plankton and can grow to 100 pounds. They reproduce in huge numbers. There are numerous videos of silver carp, which tend to be agitated by boats' motors, leaping out of the water, occasionally injuring boaters or anglers.
"These carp have the potential to be every bit as devastating as the worst invasives we have seen -- sea lamprey and zebra mussels," Gaden said. "That's what we're worried about."
Experts racing to protect nature's food web, humans
The race is on between man and fish, and the health of the Great Lakes is at stake.

At the end of June, scientists and experts thought silver carp, an aggressive invasive fish, were still 15 miles from an electric barrier built to repel them in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. The fish hadn't moved much in a while, giving federal officials time to gear up the newest section of the $30-million barrier.

But on July 31, results from a new testing method that samples water for fish DNA showed that silver carp already had moved through a lock and were 10 miles farther up the canal than anyone knew. The tests don't tell where the carp are now, only where they have been.

The Army Corps of Engineers doubled the voltage on the barrier Wednesday, but there are no guarantees. "It's not a silver bullet, but it's the best tool we have," said Col. Vincent Quarles, commander of the Chicago District of the corps.

"Given the tenacity of these carp species, I'm a bit pessimistic," said Mark Coscarelli, manager of the Great Lakes Fishery Trust.

The DNA test has been available only since May, Quarles said. More testing is being done to make sure fish haven't already crossed the barrier, heading the last 32 miles toward Lake Michigan with no significant obstacles in their path

[mud_n_fun]

They need to Kill em ALL!!!!!

[taxid]

They need to Kill em ALL!!!!!

I wish it was that easy.

And to think funding was almost cut for the barrier just after 9/11. DHS tried to say there were more important things to use the money for. It's a good think enough people in the right places said that was not acceptable. However it may all be in vain.  

Did anyone know the current was turned off for  a while while the Corps of Engineers and the government argued about how much voltage was safe?

I can't verify it, but a fish farmer friend of mine in Michigan says during high water fish can get around the weir. Of course it's been a while since we've had high water on the Great Lakes.

[mud_n_fun]

It is just sickening thinking about them getting into our Great Lakes!

[Steelie Slayer]

The  department of natural resources is a joke.  How about a bounty or some type of incentive to get more people on the water killing these things???  I could think of nothin more fun to do than sit on the back of a boat with a loaded 12 guage and blow the hell out of these fish.....  Our great lakes are important, any official would say that....... If its so important then you must take extreme measures to keep them the condition they are in right now.

Only problem with that is if we make it a sport to go out and shoot or catch these fish the DNR/ fisheries department will somehow find a way to make it so that you have to have a fishing license to do it, then they will be jacking us for the price of that also.

[Steelie Slayer]

IDK about you guys, but everyone who is near the great lakes knows how much of an impact this has on keeping our economy going at lease Lake Michigan......  Im in the building construction trade and 90% of our work for the past 4 years has come b/c of people wanting to move  onto the lakeshore of this beautiful natural resource...... If this goes to hell then what will we have???

[northrn-duck-assassin]

Everyone that would be doing this would be fisherman and they have to buy a fishing liscense as it is. and why would we sit on the back of a boat with a loaded gun shooting into the air around each other?? even if your spread out the other boaters would still be getting sprayed by the load fired out of the gun just get after em with a bow..do some bow fishing they already do on the illinois river granted there aren't enough people doing it but they are starting to run guides out so people can hit em with the bow i have fished tournaments watching them and i have watched it on tv. you have to be safe and smart about it.

[minnowreaper]

It would really break my heart to see these things in the Great Lakes,something has to be done.I  think putting a bounty on them would be a great place to start ,say a dollar a head would probably be a good start. That would be a good place to start and would be enough to motivate a decent number of people to get out and spend some time on the water killing these things.Be a good way to augment your income and save the lakes from becoming over run with them.

[taxid]

delete

[taxid]

Wholesale slaughter of the fish via guns and bows would reduce them but not eliminate them. Even rontenone treatments on lakes rarely eliminate 100 percent of common carp so I doubt they'd eliminate the silver carp. However a rotenone treatment of the river could buy us time. But we are talking thousands of dollars if not a few million in chemical costs and most state budgets are strapped as it is.  The problem with the guns and bows etc. is you are not targeting the juvenile fish such as fingerlings, fry etc.

[Boomer]

Does anyone know if they do any gill netting of these fish? No offense to the average fisherman/bowfisher but the numbers that can be caught and utilized by netting wouold have to be larger than a few fishermen.

[camocrazy82]

All out War on these fish! Anyway you can get them. But then again that wouldnt work. I know of a way but it has to do with some Asians and a BIG boat......

[lakehopper]

Does anyone know if they do any gill netting of these fish? No offense to the average fisherman/bowfisher but the numbers that can be caught and utilized by netting wouold have to be larger than a few fishermen.

yes they do net them ,there are some guys on the Illinios River that make a good living at catching these critters and selling them for food and fertalizer