The fish that could eat Lake Erie

The Buffalo News ^ | July 04, 2010 | Jerry Zremski

[Willie Green]

The fish that could eat the Great Lakes is only 6 miles away from Lake Michigan now — maybe.

The big, ugly and unbelievably hungry Asian carp has been making its way up the Mississippi for two decades and now appears to be closer than ever to migrating en masse to the world's largest body of fresh water.

If it starts reproducing there, scientists say, it's likely to eventually consume much of the plankton that forms the basis of the food chain that supports what's estimated to be a $7 billion sports fishery.

"These fish are extraordinarily prolific, and if they establish themselves in the Great Lakes, the Great Lakes are done," said Joel Brammeier, president of the Alliance for the Great Lakes.

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• Quick facts: The scary details about Asian carp

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To stop the carp, some environmentalists say we should consider spending an untold sum to redo the engineering feat that reversed the flow of the Chicago River and linked the Mississippi basin with the Great Lakes a century ago. That would stop the invading fish — maybe.

Such are the uncertainties confronting federal officials as they consider how to cope with the greatest threat to face the Great Lakes fishery in modern times.

The trouble is, the defining words in the Asian carp story seem to be: maybe and if.

The lakes already may be in big trouble — if the lone blackhead carp that was found last month in Lake Calumet, six miles from Lake Michigan, was one of many.

And radical changes in the Chicago waterways may be able to save the lakes from the invaders from afar — if they can be done on time, and if the monster fish doesn't find some other way into the lakes, which is something that may already be happening.

[cripplecreek]

The democrats see destroying the industry as another cash cow. Dick Durbin is calling for a carp czar despite the fact that Obama has already appointed another Chi-town buddy as Great lakes czar and given him 25 billion dollars to use as he pleases.

Cameron Davis (Great lakes czar) wants to remove dams in the great lakes watershed which would actually help the carp to spread and breed in the waters where salmon, trout, walleye, etc spawn. Seems that our prime salmon spawning grounds are ideal for the carp. The behavior of the administration over this issue has been exactly like it has been with the oil spill. Foot dragging and obstruction

BTW interesting how Illinois gets the backing of the president on this despite having almost nothing at stake.



Great Lakes Watershed.

[cripplecreek]

If it were Chicago’s problem, obama would be on it like ugly on his wife. Unfortunately he’d rather screw several other states and Canada. See post number 41

[Catphish]

I read they are quite good to eat but it takes practice to learn how to fillet them. But people don’t like the name Carp so they are thinking of changing it to something else.

[goat granny]

Have a friend that got drunk fishing Lake St Clare one time and accidently spit his dentures into the lake. But didn’t lose his beer...if you find them, freep me....LOL

[ErnBatavia]

obama would be on it like ugly on his wife.

Whew...talk about "Laser Focus"....

[Richard Kimball]

Here’s a time specific link that goes to the first massive jump of the carp out of the river:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ChwJiKKBdA#t=2m40s

[Osage Orange]

Long story short...but my uncle lost his fake eye in the Arkansas River, while running a trot line.....near Ark City, KS. about 40 yrs ago.

We always laughed about someone walking a sandbar and seeing that eye a looking back at them!!

LOL!!

[calex59]

I agree, a bounty. Bounties pretty much wiped out the Blue Jay in CA, but of course the obnoxious SOBs are back in force now. When I was a kid, I could shoot one and get a nickel for it. Doesn’t sound like much now but back then a 12 Oz pepsi was only a nickel. Shoot five of them and I could get into a movie(25cents). Coyotes used to have a bounty also but now the little wolves are all over the USA, thick as fleas on a dog.

[smokingfrog]

Nuke Chicago now, before it’s too late!

[Richard Kimball]

Whoo boy. I looked at the rest of your video and it said that in Ontario they’re selling live ones in the Asian markets and that some people buy them to release into lakes for good luck. Possession of them live is illegal, but apparently some of the markets sell them anyway.

[goat granny]

Good family story.....be surprised if some fisherman gutted a big fish and found the eye also... yikes...where is the rest of the guy...

[The Duke]

Or maybe have a “fish lottery” for some large amount of money. Every carp turned in is a ticket for the lottery. This might be cheaper, while providing an even higher motivation.

[NonValueAdded]

Oh carp!

[xzins]

Excellent idea. Thanks.

[xzins]

You put 25 bucks on a carp and I guarantee you that it will become a full time profession for some. Make it possible for a person to make decent money at it, and they’ll have folks diving to look under rocks to find the last, hiding, scared few of them.

A hundred bucks a day for 4 fish. No one’s gonna get rich, but it’ll put bread on the table and gas in the tank.

[dangus]

It’s the sort of idea that you wish were a good idea, until thousands of Chicagoans are breeding Asian carp for the bounties.

[dangus]

Lake Michigan and Lake Huron form one freshwater body, and they are larger than Lake Baikal in surface area.

[ASA Vet]

Nobody wants to eat carp

Why do you think we have the European Carp infesting most of our waterways?

European immigrants considered them good eating and brought them here.

Asians consider their variety as great food too. In Thailand they raise them in ponds and when they're grown enough they drain the ponds to catch the fish. I don't like them, they're too soft and mushy, (even if rolled in mot dang.)

[cripplecreek]

European immigrants considered them good eating and brought them here.

And nobody wants them today period.

[cripplecreek]

You put 25 bucks on a carp and I guarantee you that it will become a full time profession for some. Make it possible for a person to make decent money at it, and they’ll have folks diving to look under rocks to find the last, hiding, scared few of them.

And who will do the paying? Nobody wants the carp so I'm guessing the taxpayers will be picking up that tab as well. Seems like it would be a heck of a lot cheaper to protect the revenue generating sportfishishing industry.