Open Question: What is the government going to do about the millions of flying carp taking over the Mississippi?

26 July 2010, 11:26 pm

This has gotten completely out of hand. There are many areas along the Mississippi River where people can't fish, swim or ski anymore for fear of being knocked out or killed by these hugh flying fish! Imagine if you can, 10-20 lb fish jumping into your boat as you idle in a side channel of the Mississippi River. A classic fish story, but one that has become true in the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. In reality, it is a situation than can be downright hazardous especially when a 20-lb fish comes flying at your head. Biologists from the Long Term Resource Monitoring Program have reported being hit multiple times by large jumping fish on the Mississippi River north of St. Louis while electrofishing to sample fish populations. Unfortunately, the fish in this case is the bighead carp, not exactly the fish of dreams, because they have little or no value as a game fish. In addition to their jumping ability these fish are notable for their appearance and their size. the location of their eyes which are located far forward and low on the head gives a fish a rather bizarre appearance. These fish grow incredibly fast and reach about 25 inches by the second ear, eventually reaching over 28 inches long and 40 to 50 pounds. In Some Bank Waters of the Mississippi River and in some locations in Indiana, (which are now filled with big head, silver and some common carp rather than native fish species(, commercial fishermen have had to abandon their traditional fish and style because the carp are so large and abundant the fishermen can't even lift their nets. The big head were brought to the U. S.in 1973 from China to help improve the water quality and control plankton populations (microscopic animals and plants( in catfish farms, initially in Arkansas. By 1978, space the importation and possession of an of big head carp was prohibited, a but the damage had already been done. Big head carp had already escaped into nearby river works. Farmed fish ponds are not closely controlled or monitored and are often located in bottom lands that are subject to flooding, thereby offering an easy escape route for these exotic carp. become true in the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. In reality, it is a situation than can be downright hazardous especially when a 20-lb fish comes flying at your head. Biologists from the Long Term Resource Monitoring Program have reported being hit multiple times by large jumping fish on the Mississippi River north of St. Louis while electro-fishing to sample fish populations. Unfortunately, the fish in this case is the bighead carp, not exactly the fish of dreams, because they have little or no value as a game fish. Big head carp filtered feed on zooplankton which puts them in direct competition for food with paddlefish, bigmouth Buffalo, and gizzard shad as well as all the young native fish. The carp have the edge on our native species because of their large section volume, and voracious appetites, which enables them to quickly decimate concentrations of zooplankton. To make matters worse, the carp are also prolific breeders and they got so large so fast that not much else is big enough to eat them. Eventually the big head carp found its way into the Mississippi and Missouri River systems and is currently reported in 22 states including Iowa, Illinois, and South Dakota. They are furthest northern points so far on the Mississippi is the dam at Cape Cod, Iowa. However, officials report big head carp stacking up like cord wood below dams on the Missouri, Des Moines and the upper Mississippi River's trying to penetrate upstream River reaches. This species alter the potential range in North America is unknown. www.greenriver.com... Read More »

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