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Engineering firm trying to electro shock invasive carp from Twin Cites lake
CBS News ^ | JULY 7, 2022 | JOHN LAURITSEN

Posted on 07/07/2022 6:20:00 PM PDT by nickcarraway

There are efforts to reduce invasive fish populations on Twin Cities lakes by a process called "electro-shock."

"We were catching them by the buckets. Five-gallon buckets. We couldn't even count them there were so many," said Jordan Wein of WSB.

Last year, it was open season on goldfish at lakes in Chaska and Robbinsdale. The former pets had been released into the water, where they multiplied and squeezed out native fish.

This summer WSB is going after another invasive species -- carp. The engineering company is trolling across Normandale Lake in Bloomington, using their electro-fishing boat to stun the fish below.

"It sends electricity in front of the boat by connecting an anode and a cathode just like a battery," Wein said.

While Wein drives, environmental scientist Kyle Blazek uses a net to bring in the catch.

"You have a second, maybe half a second to really grab at them," Blazek said.

It's not just carp they're hauling in. Catching other fish species gives them a better understanding of how healthy the lake is.

But it's the invasive carp they're targeting. Many are disposed of while others are tagged for tracking purposes.

"They are RFID tags, which are pretty similar to what you put into your home pet," Wein said.

So far, the electro shock efforts used to study and reduce goldfish have worked well. Catch rates are much smaller this summer, meaning the population has declined. Wein and his crew are now hoping for similar success with carp.

"I think knocking those carp and holding them back and really keeping them from rebounding will really solidify that those water qualities are here to stay for the long term," Wein said.

Wein said the concern with carp and goldfish is that they uproot vegetation at the bottom of lakes, which hurts native fish species.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Local News; Pets/Animals
KEYWORDS: minisoda; minnesota; squareheads
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1 posted on 07/07/2022 6:20:00 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

Fish that can be turned into fertilizer.

And there are so many they literally just jump into your boat!


2 posted on 07/07/2022 6:23:18 PM PDT by airborne (Thank you Rush for helping me find FreeRepublic! )
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To: nickcarraway

Electroshocking fish to remove invasive species and count desirable species is routine. Done properly, the electroshock does not kill the fish.

I have seen it done by the DNRs of several states.


3 posted on 07/07/2022 6:24:21 PM PDT by jjotto ( Blessed are You LORD, who crushes enemies and subdues the wicked.)
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To: nickcarraway

Goldfish are a type of carp.


4 posted on 07/07/2022 6:25:45 PM PDT by marktwain
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To: nickcarraway

I have driven by the lake in Robbinsdale (I live nearby) there are some GIANT goldfish in that lake. You can see them from the street as you pass by.


5 posted on 07/07/2022 6:31:03 PM PDT by READINABLUESTATE (It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies.)
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To: airborne

They go airborne?


6 posted on 07/07/2022 6:31:47 PM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom (“...see whether we in our day and generation may not perform something worthy to be remembered.”)
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To: READINABLUESTATE

You can see them from the street as you pass by...35 years ago.


7 posted on 07/07/2022 6:33:20 PM PDT by READINABLUESTATE (It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies.)
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To: nickcarraway

I would rather carp was crap and the word lake was not in the title. The invasive crap are the Somalis infesting the Twin Cities.


8 posted on 07/07/2022 6:33:59 PM PDT by MIchaelTArchangel (I miss Don Imus!)
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

I’ve seen videos of them jumping out of the water and knocking boaters out as they drive by.


9 posted on 07/07/2022 6:36:00 PM PDT by airborne (Thank you Rush for helping me find FreeRepublic! )
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To: jjotto

Rotenone works better. Just kill them all and restock.
The gov boys live area spraying!


10 posted on 07/07/2022 6:37:48 PM PDT by 9422WMR (45 1. Lie, cheat, steal. It’s how the democRATS operate. )
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

https://youtu.be/qfG4vsJ5_xI


11 posted on 07/07/2022 6:38:42 PM PDT by airborne (Thank you Rush for helping me find FreeRepublic! )
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To: 9422WMR

Yep. I’ve seen rotenone used. And also plain old mullein, which does not kill the fish like rotenone. (Mullein is illegal for catching fish everywhere in the US, AFAIK)


12 posted on 07/07/2022 6:45:42 PM PDT by jjotto ( Blessed are You LORD, who crushes enemies and subdues the wicked.)
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To: airborne

Wow, incredible. Are they checking to see if there’s anything good to eat in the boat?


13 posted on 07/07/2022 6:49:34 PM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom (“...see whether we in our day and generation may not perform something worthy to be remembered.”)
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To: 9422WMR
Rotenone works better. Just kill them all and restock.

Yup!

Take a sustainable population of the native fish, wipe out any others, and re-introduce the farmed natives. Of course you'll have to factor in habitat/pH/spawning grounds, prey, etc.

Blaze the lake/river, and get the trash out.

14 posted on 07/07/2022 6:56:15 PM PDT by End Times Sentinel (In the conflict between the stone and the stream, the stream will always prevail.)
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To: jjotto

“I have seen it done by the DNRs of several states.”

The company I worked for back in the 80s/90s built some electro-shock gear for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife for population studies. The fisheries biologists would come by to pick up the orders and share stories with us.


15 posted on 07/07/2022 7:03:58 PM PDT by T-Bird45 (It feels like the seventies, and it shouldn't. )
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

“They go airborne?”

Go to YouTube and look them up. Insane.


16 posted on 07/07/2022 7:07:57 PM PDT by dljordan
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To: airborne

1) they’re friggin’ HUGE.

2) The boat driver suggested a shotgun. I concur.


17 posted on 07/07/2022 7:09:01 PM PDT by NorthMountain (... the right of the peopIe to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
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To: dljordan

I watched the YT vid that “Airborne” provided in #11. Just incredible.


18 posted on 07/07/2022 7:09:14 PM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom (“...see whether we in our day and generation may not perform something worthy to be remembered.”)
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To: T-Bird45

The ones I’ve seen were big metal hoops with generators/batteries providing electricity. Dropped into areas with large fish populations found with what looked like ordinary fish finders.

Very large (20+ lbs.) carp and 10+ lbs. northern pike were notable.


19 posted on 07/07/2022 7:32:57 PM PDT by jjotto ( Blessed are You LORD, who crushes enemies and subdues the wicked.)
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To: nickcarraway
Very very old news.   Decades old.
20 posted on 07/07/2022 8:00:53 PM PDT by higgmeister ( In the Shadow of The Big Chicken)
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