Asian Carp, could be big trouble for the Great Lakes.

[wastedknights]

A silver carp, an invasive species and a variety of the Asian carp, U.S. officials say the despised Asian carp may have breached an electronic barrier designed to prevent it from invading the Great Lakes and jeopardizing their $7-billion sport fishery.

Officials with the Army Corps of Engineers said Friday that DNA of the giant carp have been found north of the barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.

If correct, that would mean the carp might reach Lake Michigan if they get through a navigational lock.

From there, they could spread throughout the Great Lakes and out-compete native species for food.

Asian carp escaped from fish farms in the southern U.S. in the 1990s and have been migrating up the Mississippi and Illinois rivers.

They can exceed one metre in length and weigh about 50 kilograms.

[birddawg]

Another man-made mess to add to the list. Pickerel, rock snot, snakeheads, purple loosestrife...does it ever end?

Are these the ones that jump out of the water when a boat goes by? I see guys bowfishing for them on TV -- and are apparently encouraged to kill as many as they can as a population control measure. Personally I think they'd be great for skeet shooting.

[Troutin]

that really sucks!

[wastedknights]

Yes they are boat jumpers. I read a story of a group of guys that go fishing and what they do is, on a fishing trip the first one hit by a jumping carp has to buy the beer for the next trip. There must be alot of jumping fish going on to do that.
Rob you are right, maybe they should bring shot guns out in the boat with them.

[exstreamfisherman]

It will mean bad news for the Great Lakes fishery for sure... we have our own issues here that we need to be concerned with, namely the invasive species that are spreading around the Province. Hopefully our government will implement something in the near future to stop the spread and maybe even beat some of it back. I personally don't mind travelling to fish for smallies or pikerel or for trout or salmon for that matter so why do people have to move this stuff around.. how come you never hear of an illegal trout stocking..LOL.. I can hear the cries now from Bass fisherman.."man my best smallie lake is over run with huge trout..."

The other side of it is I don't think that there are as many dedicated fishemen whom fish for just one species of fish anymore. We still have a fair number who fish just trout and salmon, but I believe that the majority will go and fish for whatever swims.. it is these people that we need to convince to change the mindset. Not to say that just trout and salmon anglers don't need to alter their views a little as well. Being convinced of a thing is one thing, making that come to life is something totally different. Seeing what needs to be done or at least believing that the outcome will make a difference is a vision that most avid anglers have... trying to get everyone into one room and one frame of mind or at least on the same page is the big problem we face and in my opinion that is what is stopping constructive work from being done. By making all bass/pikerel anglers the outcasts then you are going to be up against a huge roadblock. We need them on our side for sure. I have brought this point up on other sites but because I fish smallies and pikerel it has fallen on deaf ears.. we can't just go kill all the smallies and pikerel and I don't want to anyway. But if we did which is what the elitists want then my case to them was.. where do you think they are going to go (the anglers) what do you think they are going to fish for? Trout are in enough danger now, we don't need another 100,000 angers going out hunting for trout because we all know that most trout anglers will keep their catch.. maybe not you and me, but most will. Then what happens.. no trout or salmon, no invasives... what is left.. creek chub...mmm creek chub..

[Twinkle Toes macgillicuddy]

Here is an article from the Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/21/AR2009122103842.html

TT