Freshwater Fishing News

Scientists from Southern Illinois University report the Asian carp found in Lake Calumet are most likely the result of a cultural release. Human introduction is one of over twenty ways aquatic species may be introduced to new environments. The scientists released their findings after conducting tests on the six year old fish caught in June. As a result of this latest development UnLock Our Jobs released the following statement:

“This discovery underscores that there may have been some who have overreacted to this initial finding,” said Mark Denzler, vice president of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. “Just yesterday, leaders of Illinois business and agricultural communities filed a joint legal brief, in support of the Army Corps of Engineers, expressing opposition to a third lawsuit filed by politicians in other states.  We’re fighting on behalf of thousands of businesses and farmers across the Mississippi region to rely on these waterways for commerce.  Closing the locks based on misinformation and fear makes everyone worse off – we need to proceed based on the facts.”

Lisa Frede, director of regulatory affairs for the Chemical Industry Council of Illinois continued, “Following this isolated discovery back in June, a handful of politicians and environmental alarmists called for drastic action despite our warnings that scientific testing must be conducted first. Now scientists report the fish was most likely a result of human release which only underscores the point that knee-jerk, extreme reactions were unnecessary and counterproductive. Existing barriers are clearly working and now we must work toward a comprehensive solution that will be both economically and environmentally beneficial in the long-term.”

Asian Carp, a collection of four distinct fish species, represent a serious, but manageable threat to the Mississippi and Great Lakes Region. Introduced in the 1970s by southern catfish farmers, Asian Carp traveled north through U.S. waterways to their current location in the Illinois River. To cope with the further spread of these invasive species of carp, regulators installed electric barriers to prevent further progression.

Further preventative measures being considered include lock closures which would cause disruption of commercial traffic through the northern most locks on the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS).

For more information on the negative effects of Chicago Area Waterway System lock closures, visit: www.unlockourjobs.org

UnLock Our Jobs is a coalition dedicated to protecting the essential waterway connection between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River corridor. A project of the Chemical Industry Council of Illinois, coalition members represent agriculture, business, labor, river communities, and concerned citizens working towards a comprehensive solution to stop the spread of Asian Carp, while leaving the Chicago locks open to commerce.

Kansas anglers are being warned that possession of prohibited species such as silver carp is illegal.

A few years ago, adult silver carp were first noticed in the Kansas River, leaping high in the air and endangering boaters. These non-native fish have a peculiar habit of leaping completely out of the water as a motorboat passes over, but their presence threatens more than boaters.

Silver carp, along with the bighead carp, are extremely prolific breeders and threaten channel catfish, bass, walleye, crappie as well as bait fish anywhere they are spread.

High water this spring has made the situation worse, creating a reproductive explosion of these fish, which, in addition to endangering native species, are illegal to possess alive. Biologists from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) are monitoring the situation, but without the help of responsible anglers, things could get much worse.

As of Aug. 2, young-of-the-year (2 to 3 inches long) Asian carp were “stacked up by the hundreds of thousands” below Johnson County WaterOne Coffer Dam, according to KDWP aquatic nuisance specialist Jason Goeckler.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” the biologist said. “The water is just loaded with them. You can stick a dip net in and pull up 100 or more at a time, and our real concern is that — because they could easily be mistaken for shad or other minnows — anglers will put them in their bait buckets and take them to other waters.”

Just putting these fish in a bait bucket is illegal. Silver carp and bighead carp are on the state list of species that are illegal to import, possess, or release alive in Kansas. That means they cannot be kept if taken in a seine, put in a bait bucket, or used for bait unless they are killed first. Violation is a Class C misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine.

While many anglers seine their own bait, few can readily identify one “minnow” from another. But it’s easy to learn. Go online to kdwp.state.ks.us, then click “Fishing/Aquatic Nuisance Species/Aquatic Nuisance Species List/Asian Carp.”

The website includes pictures and detailed descriptions of the fish, as well as a link to a video on Asian carp by famous angler Bill Dance. Dance discusses not only how to indentify the fish but the dangers of their spread.

Following the discovery of a Bighead Asian Carp on the wrong side of the electric barrier six miles from Lake Michigan, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) wrote to President Obama asking him to immediately appoint a federal Coordinated Response Commander for Asian carp.

The  appointment of  a Coordinated Response Commander would establish efforts to prevent the Asian carp from occupying Lake Michigan as a national priority. The commander would have the ability to coordinate the day-to-day efforts of the multiple federal, state and local agencies involved.  The letter was sent to the White House in June, 2010 and was signed by ten Senators whose states border the Great Lakes.

“Since 2003, we’ve been working at the federal level to keep this invasive species away from Lake Michigan. But the capture of a live fish on the wrong side of the electric barrier changes everything.  We have to redouble our efforts and do everything in our power to stop this invasive species from entering Lake Michigan,” said Durbin. “We have to go at this as if we were at war.  The viability of the Great Lakes is at stake.”

In the letter, Durbin and his colleagues write:

“[W]e write to you with a renewed sense of urgency, asking you to name a federal Coordinated Response Commander for Asian carp who can effectively marshal and organize these efforts to contain the spread of the carp. . . . We need the best and the brightest — scientists, engineers, and environmental experts — focused on this single goal.  That is why we are calling on you to immediately appoint a Coordinated Response Commander for Asian carp to fight this battle.  We need someone with the knowledge and skills to direct and coordinate multiple federal, state and private sector efforts.”

Durbin also discussed legislation he and Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) will introduce to require the Army Corps of Engineers to conduct an expedited study to determine how to physically separate the waterways that connect the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River watersheds to prevent the passage of aquatic invasive species.  This “hydrological separation” — a complex feat of engineering — may be the best hope for a long-term solution for containing invasive species.

The bill will require that the study begin within 30 days of enactment and be completed within 18 months of enactment, with several reports due in the intervening months.  The study will examine other modes of transportation for shipping, and create engineering designs to move canal traffic from one water body to the other without transferring aquatic species, and it will detail the environmental benefits, costs and construction time estimates of each option.  It will also address flooding threats, Chicago wastewater, waterway safety operations and barge and recreational vessel traffic alternatives.