# Asian Carp Update



## KWB (Mar 1, 2009)

I remember reading somewhere that the incidents involving Erie were after being looked into, just Grass Carp and not Asian Carp as previously reported. I cannot remember where this was or when I read it, but am sure I read some article on it...


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## Flyfisher (Oct 1, 2002)

doctor's orders said:


> Personally I feel the biggest fish kill in American History was a waste for ONE fish that was killed 6 miles downstream from the fish barrier and was only 22" long. One fish out of an estimated 10,000 tons of dead fish was a waste.


For someone so active with SalmonUnlimited http://www.salmonunlimitedinc.com/album.html, based in the Chicagoland area, I am surprised you aren't taking a more aggressive stance against the carp. Given the data that was at hand (DNA evidence), it would seem foolish that the government not take swift action to prevent the spread of the carp into Lake Michigan. 

Thanks BR for the article. Like KWB mentioned, I now recall that I had read something that they turned out to be sterile grass carp, and not asian carp. I could be wrong, but that is what I recall reading. Needless to say, incidental releases of a carp here or there do not equate to spawning pairs. Without a doubt, if the IL carp made it into Lake Michigan, it probably wouldn't be a fish or two. Perhaps the barrier is working better than expected? Or the fish just haven't worked themselves up that far in large groups yet?


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## REG (Oct 25, 2002)

http://sites.google.com/a/fieldmuseum.org/pwillink/asian-carp-in-chicago-faqs


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## Spanky (Mar 21, 2001)

Thanks for the link REG, good reading and info!


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## Jasper302 (May 31, 2009)

http://www.thedailynews.cc/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubsectionID=2&ArticleID=31950&TM=64518.92


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## doctor's orders (Aug 25, 2009)

Flyfisher said:


> I now recall that I had read something that they turned out to be sterile grass carp, and not asian carp.


Could you provide a link to that?


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## Flyfisher (Oct 1, 2002)

doctor's orders said:


> Could you provide a link to that?


*Rare Grass Carp Nasty Reminder of Lake Invaders*

Sat, July 28, 2007 as described in the London Free Press

_A cousin of the dreaded Asian carp, a grass carp is not as destructive.

A big fish caught off Sarnia turns out not to be the nasty foreign invader many feared. 

But there's a downside -- it was a grass carp, a cousin of the fish it was mistaken for. 

And just like that other behemoth, the grass carp is a destructive species that doesn't belong in the Great Lakes. 

The lowdown on the one-metre fish caught in a fishing net this past Wednesday by Milford Purdy was confirmed yesterday by Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources. 

"It's not a big concern, other than the fact that it's an invasive species and it's likely been introduced by humans," said Barry Radford, a ministry spokesperson. 

The grass carp is flagged on the MNR's website as a harmful exotic species. 

In the lower Mississippi River, grass, big head and silver carp -- cousins in the same Asian carp family -- have devastated the ecosystem and many fisheries. 

The big fish feeds on water plants, which stirs up river and lake bottoms and clouds the water. 

Native to east Asia but now found all over Europe and the U.S., the grass carp is the largest species in the family. They can live more than 15 years, weigh more than 50 kilograms and grow longer than one metre. 

The fish caught last week was at first thought to be either a big head or silver carp, both highly destructive because they feed on more of the nutrients that would supply the bottom of the aquatic food chain. 

Authorities have braced for the arrival in the Great Lakes of the most destructive of the Asian carp, with a $US9-million underwater electric barrier set up in the Chicago canal, a potential entry point from the U.S. into the lakes. 

While the fish landed this week may not be as fearsome as first thought, its presence was yet another reminder of the threat posed by exotic species to those who make their living from the lakes. 

"I don't like that they have found another one there," said Peter Meisenheimer, executive director of the Ontario Commercial Fisheries' Association. 

According to the resources ministry, the first grass carp was caught in Lake Erie in 1985. Between 1989 and 1998, three more were captured in southern Lake Huron. And in 2003, a grass carp was caught at the mouth of the Don River in Lake Ontario. 

The captures were called isolated. And the ministry doesn't believe an established population of grass carp is in the Great Lakes. 

The incidents likely stem from people importing live Asian carp for food, or farmers putting them in ponds to clean up unwanted vegetation, says the MNR. 

But Meisenheimer isn't buying those explanations. 

"It's always been assumed they aren't being reproduced in the Great Lakes, but the more often these things show up, the more suspicious you are they are showing up because they're established," he said._

So, considering your leadership role with Salmon Unlimited, is it their position that the rotenone poisoning in the canal was the wrong way to approach the asian carp invasion? I am, of course, making the assumption that you are the person in the pictures in your photo album...Captain Jim M. from the boat "Doctor's Orders".


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## Fishbone (Oct 10, 2008)

doctor's orders said:


> Flyfisher said:
> 
> 
> > I now recall that I had read something that they turned out to be sterile grass carp, and not asian carp.
> ...


Google web search query results:
http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2972894&postcount=22

:lol:


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

White Amur Carp have been in the Great Lakes for decades, and have not propogated to any great degree. They consume plant matter, and haven't really affected the ecosystem much. Asian Bighead and Silver Carp are much different. They consume algae, and spawn prolifically. They have overtaken several ecosystems they have been introduced to. Comparing them is like comparing apples and oranges. 

The fish kill from the poisoning of the canal was estimated at around 200,000 pounds. That would only be 100,000 tons if a ton was 2 pounds. Since a ton is 2,000 pounds, the actual tonage of the kill was around 100, not 100,000. The vast majority of the fish killed were "rough" fish, according to the DNR report of the incident. 

I have not heard of any documented instance of Bighead or Silver Carp being found *in* any of the Great Lakes, *yet. * I have heard rumors, but nothing that was actually proven to be factual. I hope we never hear of them gaining access.


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## Master Blaster (Jul 28, 2009)

Rough fish or game fish none of those fish were fit to eat. The canal is still a very polluted waterway. I wouldn't put any of those fish even in my garden to many pcbs, mercury and other nasty sustances.


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## blepley (Jan 6, 2010)

well i guess if all fails we could take all who failed us in trying to rid of the asian carp, put them in a boat with nothing and let them get b*** slapped for a few days by these nasty fish. this was just a suggestion i mean a joke. no harm.


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## wolflaker4life (Jan 11, 2010)

the root of the problem is bringing in a species not native to our waters, wherever it may have originated. every bug, fish and other animal problem we have seems to have been started that way. if we had the ambition to get off our butts long ago and do things the right way instead of the easy way, we wouldnt have an invasive species problem anywhere in our borders.


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## Big Frank 25 (Feb 21, 2002)

Ducks along with other birds that frequent already invaded lakes, rivers and streams will eventually carry the eggs to the great lakes. Sadly, if the situation is right the carp will flourish. 

Measures should be taken that every time the lock is operated the poison to kill off the carp is mixed in with the fill water.


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## Whit1 (Apr 27, 2001)

*This bill was introduced today in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives by Senator Stabenow and Representative Dave Camp. It is a bi-partisan piece of legislation.  This is FAR too important an issue to allow political/party bickering so keep it out. This comes from Sen. Stabenow.*

As you may know, the Great Lakes are threatened by the spread of the invasive Asian carp, an extremely large fish that is so aggressive and reproduces so rapidly that it could devastate our fish populations. These fish can weigh up to 100 pounds and grow to up to four feet in length. They were accidentally released into the Mississippi River system in the 1990s and have been steadily moving upstream.

Today, I introduced the CARP ACT in the U.S. Senate. This bill directs the Army Corps of Engineers *to **construct additional barriers and immediately close the locks** between the **Chicago waterway** and Lake Michigan* to protect the Great Lakes from Asian carp. Congressman Dave Camp (R-Michigan) has also introduced the companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

Yesterday, scientists announced that carp DNA has been detected above the electrical barrier that was placed in the locks to prevent the carp from entering the Great Lakes. While finding the DNA is not conclusive proof that carp have actually crossed the barrier, it is urgent that we respond quickly to keep them from crossing into the Great Lakes. These fish pose a grave risk to our state, especially Michigan's $7 billion boating and fishing industry. 

I have been working to ensure that federal and state experts have all the tools they need to protect the Great Lakes from the Asian carp, and so far, the efforts have been very successful. However, the recent announcements by scientists are a troubling development that requires an urgent response. Therefore, the bills that Congressman Camp and I introduced call for immediate action to:

*Immediately close the barriers and locks into the Great Lakes*

*Expedite the installation of interim barriers in rivers where no barriers currently exist*

*Enhance existing barriers and monitoring systems** to prevent fish from crossing into the Great Lakes*

*Grant full authority to the Army Corps of Engineers to eradicate the Asian carp and prevent them from entering the Great Lakes.*

As your Senator, I will continue to work to protect our Great Lakes, which are critical to our state's livelihood. As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of assistance to you or your family.


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## Ranger Ray (Mar 2, 2003)

Its going to take all the surrounding states and Provence (Canada) political power to pull this off. Lets hope its not to late.


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## earl (Sep 7, 2007)

If the tribes wieghed in also.


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## Michigander1 (Apr 5, 2006)

earl said:


> If the tribes wieghed in also.


 Earl ty.This is the key .I forgot about the Indians on OUR Great Lakes.We have heard nothing from them  This is HUGE.Sad to say but.I bet they have more say then anyone at this point.Where the heck is Pinefarm at ? He does his homework.Or use to  Mich


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## Whit1 (Apr 27, 2001)

The Great Lakes need all the help they can get. This largest body of fresh water in the world has been, virtually speaking, under attack for decades. Alliances of heretofore strange bedfellows is needed.


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## Queequeg (Aug 10, 2007)

You probably already got this, but in case not:

http://www.StopAsianCarp.com/

I also got an email reply from Debbie Stabenow (she actually replied, or someone in her office) stating that she has about 5 things in the works now to try and close off the locks or at least prevent AC from moving in to the Lakes.

We'll see.


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