Keeping Out the Carp and Containing the Invasion

As I pointed out in my previous post, keeping Asian carp and other aquatic exotic species from spreading is about more than implementing concrete, preventative measures, such as river barriers.

It’s also about public outreach and education from both government agencies and angling organizations.

But preventative measures also are needed, and, in the case of carp, that measure should be hydrologic separation of the Mississippi River basin from the Great Lakes.

Nature did not connect them; we did. And, in so doing we established a two-way highway for exotics: Zebra and quagga mussels moved out of the lakes and into rivers across the nation, while bighead and silver carp are knocking on the door of Lake Michigan.

And that’s just four species. Nearly 200 exotic species are established in the Great Lakes and will have easy access to the rest of the nation’s fisheries until we separate the two systems.

A new, privately funded study will show three ways to build barriers to separate the Mississippi River basin from Lake Michigan, according to the Detroit Free Press. It will be released in January, in hopes of spurring the Army Corps of Engineers to work faster on its own study, which won’t be completed until at least 2015.

Free Press says: “The plan would put one, three or five new permanent barriers into rivers around Chicago to block carp and other invasive species. The project might have to be built in phases over time, but could begin with a single one-way barrier that would stop carp. Later phases would stop invasive species going the other way, from Lake Michigan into the Mississippi River.”

The Salmon That Wasn't a Salmon

Most of our concern regarding exotic carp is directed at keeping them out of the Great Lakes, preferably by eliminating the manmade connection between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River basin.

But this battle for containment has many facets. Another of them is angler education. Fishermen who can’t identify harmful fish and plants unintentionally spread them, not just into the Great Lakes but all across the country.

How does that happen? Here’s an example from South Dakota:

A creel clerk for South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks (SDGFP) noticed a boat coming out of the water at Lewis and Clark Lake on the Missouri River. When he asked the anglers how fishing had been, they told him that they had caught one walleye and one salmon.

But that system doesn’t have salmon. And when one of the anglers pulled the fish out of the water to proudly display his catch, the clerk saw that it actually was a 5-pound bighead carp.

He then learned that that the two had started the day fishing below the dam, where they somehow hooked the carp while trolling. Later, they trailered their boat to the lake. In other words, they gave the invader a ride past a carp-stopping barrier.

“Fortunately these Nebraskans’ hunger for delicious ‘smoked salmon’ did not diminish during the afternoon or they may have tossed their prized catch into the lake,” says a biologist for SDFGP.

 “Ron (the clerk) said that he learned these guys had never even heard of Asian carp, much less understood the ramifications of hauling a live one around Lewis and Clark Lake.

“This is what we are up against in trying to stop the spread of these fish.  It's going to take a miracle.”

Got Flies? Get Some More and Help Recycled Fish Conservation Efforts

Hey, buy some flies from the Recycled Fish Online Fly Shop powered by West-Fly, and at least 30 percent of the sale will go to conservation efforts.

 “We don’t ever want to be a fishing products company,” said Teeg Stouffer, Recycled Fish executive director. “We are a non-profit organization. That’s why we’ve partnered with West-Fly, who produces, markets and distributes quality flies. They have created something to help our cause in a new and interesting way.”

So does the Recycled Fish Online Fly Shop powered by West-Fly replace standard bricks and mortar fly shops?

 “Not at all,” says Stouffer. “Fly fishing needs locally owned shops – they’re part of the culture of the sport. What we’re doing complements traditional shops, it doesn’t compete with them.

“We won’t, don’t, and can’t offer casting lessons or fly tying classes, guide services, or boots and waders. We can’t tell you what the stream flows look like, or what the fish are eating. But once you figure that stuff out with the help of a local shop (probably after buying an assortment of flies from them), you can order a couple dozen of your favorite patterns from us, or prepare for a destination trip by loading up a fly box with the flies for a faraway water.”

West-Fly makes a quarterly donation to Recycled Fish based upon proceeds from the sales. All purchases through the site qualify for donations to Recycled Fish

More Evidence that NPS is No Friend to Fishermen: Biscayne Bay Access Threatened

As I’ve said before, the National Park Service is no friend to anglers. That’s evident not only in what it’s done to restrict recreational fishing at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, but also its “preferred alternative” for Biscayne (Bay) National Park, the largest marine park in the system.

Here is what the American Sportfishing Association says:

“The current preferred alternative that is endorsed by park managers will establish a 10,522-acre marine reserve, or no fishing zone, and several ‘no combustion engine zones,’ which act as de facto no-fishing zones because their large size makes most of the waters inaccessible.

“By attempting to implement marine reserves, BNP officials are disregarding an agreement with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, which states that marine reserves are overly restrictive as management tools, as well as the recommendations of the BNP Fisheries Management Plan working group.

“The working group was comprised of recreational anglers, commercial fishermen, divers, scientists and environmental groups who based their recommendations on sound fisheries management practices – these recommendations did not include marine reserves.”

You have until Oct. 31 to voice your opposition. Go to Keep America Fishing to learn more.

To read about restrictions at Cape Hatteras, perform a search on this site for “National Park Service” or “Cape Hatteras.”

Angler Activism Needed to Save Southwest Fisheries

 

The sucking sound that you hear is the water being drained out of New Mexico’s Sumner Lake “to accommodate downstream irrigation demands.”

Many of the state’s reservoir fisheries are going dry because of prolonged drought and multiple demands for limited water in the Rio Grande, Pecos, and other rivers. But 4,500-acre Sumner is the first that I’ve heard of to be officially dried up.

As the water pours out, anglers can catch and keep as many sport fish as they like until the boat ramp is closed at 11:59 p.m. Nov. 1, according to New Mexico Fish and Game.

Earl Conway, conservation director of the New Mexico B.A.S.S. Federation Nation warns that anglers in New Mexico and surrounding Southwest states “may be trading in their boats for golf carts and poker chips if casinos, big business, and city politicians get their way.  

“From one perspective, southwestern bass anglers benefited when many reservoirs were built in the 20^th century for irrigation, flood control, and municipal water supplies.   In New Mexico, there are only 10 reservoirs big enough to support bass tournaments that wouldn’t have otherwise been built. 

“But continued growth in urban population, casinos with their fountains and golf courses, semiconductor industries, and cattle feedlots have pushed demand for groundwater and surface water beyond supply. Just to add fuel to the fire, federal courts have ruled that minimum instream flows must be maintained to provide habitat for the Rio Grande silvery minnow and other endangered fish and birds.”  

Water has become another bargaining chip in the economic struggle to bring new business and employment to New Mexico, he says, adding “it is just another case of poorly conceived political  ‘redistribution of wealth’ that is going to leave us high and dry if we don’t speak up and get in the game.

“The current drought has drained many of the lakes to near record lows and forced some farmers to cut back on crops.  Oddly enough, though, there are four new championship golf courses next to our two biggest casinos and two largest bass fishing reservoirs.” 

Other Southwest states, he adds, are in a similar predicament.

And he offers this piece of advice to anglers: “Before you vote next fall, know where your candidates stand on protecting our reservoirs.”