Funds Needed to Combat Invasive Species in Nebraska, but 'Nobody Cares'

In Nebraska, those who care about protecting the state’s waters from invasive species are trying to raise awareness and obtain funding to do battle. The legislature tasked the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission with the job, but provided no money.

As proposed in Legislative Bill 63, introduced by Sen. Ken Schliz, $1.2 million from taxes generated by motorboat sales or leases would fund a program to monitor and control aquatic invasive species.  

“What it comes down to is that the bill's sponsors feel that this allocation of sales tax revenue on boats is the best way to get the measly $1.2 million to at least get some education programs going, start some inspections, and maybe get a few wash out-stations set up at some lakes around the state,” a source told Activist Angler.

Teeg Stouffer, executive director of Recycled Fish, was one of those testifying on behalf of the proposal in a committee hearing.
“There were a bunch of testimonies for our bill and none against it, so these Senators would really have to have an agenda to not pass it out of committee and onto the floor,” he said.

He also made another observation, one that troubles, but does not surprise me:

“When I walked into the hearing room at 1:05, I was the first one there for a 1:30 hearing. Perhaps 1 out of 10 seats wound up being filled in the room.

“Meanwhile, there was a sea of people clogging one hallway --- more than could fit in a hearing room. That’s the difference between a hearing on a gay adoption bill and a natural resources bill.

“The thing that's a shame to me is that most people will never have anything to do with gay adoption, but we all drink water, eat food, and power our homes. Zebra mussel infestations could decimate our irrigation systems and heap more hardship on our farmers, which translates to higher food prices. Zebra mussels could 10x our water bills, and 10x our power bills. Nobody knows. Nobody cares.”

Commercial Tournament Highlights Carp Threat to Sport Fisheries

Commercial fishermen bring in catch during tournament. AP photo.

The threat that Asian carp pose to the north --- Great Lakes, upper Missouri River impoundments, inland Minnesota waters from the upper Mississippi, etc. --- makes most of the headlines these days.

But these prolific nuisance species also are moving south and east through the Ohio, Tennessee, and Cumberland rivers systems. And the severity of the invasion in these waters is evidenced by the results of a recent first-of-its-kind commercial fishing tournament at Kentucky and Barkley lakes.

Eleven teams brought in 82,953 pounds of Asian carp. That’s short of the 200,000-pound goal, but 41 tons are more than enough to reveal the extent of the problem.

The Gleaner.com reports the following:  

"It validated some of the things we had thought, that good skilled fisherman can come in there and take out 10,000 pounds a day, all you have to do is create a market," Kentucky Fish and Wildlife spokesman Mark Marraccini said on Thursday. The fish can be harvested to produce fertilizers, pet foods, and fish oil products, he said. They are also edible.

State officials are concerned about the rapid spread of the fish in Barkley and Kentucky lakes. The carp breed faster than some native species and eat up the algae and zooplankton that other fish depend on.

The Asian carp infiltrated the Mississippi River in the 1970s after getting loose from fish farms. Federal officials, worried about the species reaching the Great Lakes, are conducting a study to investigate how Asian carp DNA got into rivers and canals in the Chicago area.

Ron Brooks, Kentucky's fisheries director, said one species of the problem fish, the silver carp, is prone to leaping out of the water when agitated by boat noise, which can injure boaters and skiers.

Brooks said state officials will make tweaks to the next tournament to attract more fishing teams.

The two-day tournament winner was Barry Mann of Gilbertsville. His team hauled in 28,669 pounds and won a top prize of $10,000. The commercial teams used nets since the carp don't bite on baited hooks. More than 20 teams signed up but just 11 teams brought in fish for weighing, Marraccinni said.

The removed carp were taken to a processing plant in Mississippi, where they will be harvested for fish oils and used in pet foods, Marraccini said.

Here’s a video about the tournament.

To learn more about the threat that Asian carp pose to the east and south check out

Asian Carp Also Threaten Southern Fisheries.

Carp Czar Focuses on Carp Threat to Ohio, Mississippi Rivers --- Finally

Carp caught at Kentucky Lake. Photo by Steve McCadams.

Activist Angler has been sounding the alarm for months about Asian carp spreading up the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, as well as east into the Cumberland, Tennessee and Ohio systems.

Finally, our federal carp czar, John Goss, has taken note that the Great Lakes aren't the only waters at risk. Isn’t that reassuring?

"Attacking the carp populations in the Ohio and Mississippi rivers needs to be our focus over the next few years," he said recently. "With very limited funding, we haven't been able to jump into it. Hopefully, Congress will recognize that, and we're working with federal staff people to get appropriations.”

Cleveland.com reports that Asian carp have reached Ohio waters of the Ohio River, and moved up the Little Miami River near Cincinnati.  It adds, “The infestation is so bad in Kentucky and Barkley lakes in Kentucky that the first commercial netting contest ever held will target the carp on March 12-13, with a $20,000 top prize. A commercial fisherman in that region told state officials he recently caught 36,000 pounds of carp - in just six hours.”

Goss said commercial netting will be the first wave of defense.

"Commercial fishing is working well on the Illinois River, keeping the bulk of the carp population about 100 miles away from the electric barriers (in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal). This year, netters took 60,000 Asian carp, which means we have a lot less pressure from fish swimming up to the barrier situation."

Following are just a few of articles that Activist Angler has posted to sound the alarm about Asian carp spreading north, east, and south:

Asian Carp also Threaten Southern Fisheries

Minnesota Anglers Urge Action to Stop Asian Carp Invasion

Asian Carp Using New Route to Threaten Minnesota Fisheries

Amendment Could Weaken Protection for Missouri Streams, Fisheries

The rusty crayfish is but one of several species that threaten Missouri streams.

It appears that the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and Conservation Commission might be on the verge of weakening the regulation that it implemented in March 2012 to protect Missouri streams from invasive crayfish. If it does so, native ecosystems, especially smallmouth bass streams, likely will pay the price for this concession to the Missouri Farm Bureau (MFB) and the aquaculture industry.

Those two special interests pushed hard against the original regulation. Last year, they also collected signatures statewide against the move to prohibit the import, sale, and purchase of live crayfish for use as fishing bait, as well as for pond stocking and as pets for food.

And don’t forget that we have fish farmers (in other states) to thank for the Asian carp invasion now devastating fisheries throughout much of the country. They persuaded decision makers that the economic interests of aquaculture were more important than protecting ecosystems and native species from invasive species.

Why does Missouri need this regulation? Read these previous posts at Activist Angler:Missouri Needs Angler Support to Protect Fisheries from Invasive Crayfish and Invasive Crayfish Threaten Fisheries.

The amendment would allow the virile, or Northern, crayfish to be purchased for re-sale and sold for use as live bait. It still could not be imported from another state.

But research by MDC biologists indicates that the virile crayfish poses a significant threat. Here’s what they discovered in investigating crayfish invasions in Missouri:

“In February of 2012, U.S. National Park Service (NPS) biologists contacted MDC to report they had discovered an invasion of virile crayfish in the upper Current River watershed.  They had discovered the species at 13 locations along the Current River watershed, totaling about 42 stream miles.  Invasions were later confirmed by MDC staff, working with NPS staff. 

“Current River is in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, is one of the most recreationally important (canoeing, fishing, etc.) rivers in Missouri, and NPS staff were concerned about effects of this invasion on the river’s ecology and fishery.  Nobody has yet studied this invasion to determine effects.  However, NPS biologists noted several sites where virile crayfish outnumbered native crayfish and numbers of native spothanded crayfish (Orconectes punctimanus) were notably lower than expected (relative to observations from around the watershed).”

With research beginning only in 1999, biologists say that they aren’t yet certain how much of this species distribution in Missouri is native and how much is invasive. But they say that the virile crayfish is a “very hardy and adaptive species” that can be highly invasive.  

Additionally, Charlie Rabeni, retired leader of the Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, says this:

“I have studied streams and crayfish in particular in Missouri Ozark streams for over 30 years. I am in total agreement with other experts who see any change to the prohibition of selling any species of crayfish to be potentially very harmful to stream biodiversity and to smallmouth bass and rock bass.”

If you want to help protect Missouri streams and smallmouth fisheries, voice your opposition to the amendment and support for the original regulation in a letter to the Missouri Conservation Commission (c/o Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102.)

Here’s what is coming up in the process to amend the regulation, according to MDC:

“The annual code review where the Regulations Committee will be discussing the proposed amendment to the crayfish regulation will be on Wednesday February 13, 2013 at the Missouri Department of Conservation Headquarters building in Jefferson City starting at 10 a.m. in the auditorium.

“Once this amendment to the regulation is proposed, it will go to the Department’s Regulations Committee for review. With the approval of the Regulations Committee and Director, the proposed regulation changes would then be presented to the Conservation Commission for approval. If approved by the Commission, the regulation changes would then be filed with the Secretary of State’s Office and posted for public comment.” Pending comments, the new regulation would then take effect March 1, 2014.”

Can Redear Sunfish Crack the Case for Quagga Mussel Control?

Record redear caught at Lake Havasu in 2011.

Out at Arizona’s Lake Havasu, researchers are investigating whether redear sunfish --- also known as “shellcrackers” --- can be used to control quagga mussel infestations.

Sounds like a good idea to me. First, shellcrackers feed primarily on snails and other small, shelled creatures. They have hard, movable plates in their throats that allow them to crush the shells.

Second, the redears grow really big in Lake Havasu, as evidenced by the 5.55-pound world record taken there in 2011. The bigger the fish, the more mussels it can eat.

Here’s what Arizona Game and Fish says about the fishery:

“Redear sunfish in the 2-pound range and larger are regularly caught. Bluegill and redear can be caught around structure such as docks, vegetation, or artificial structure using mealworms, night crawlers, or small crappie jigs.”

To find out about the research, go here.