Maize : The Universal Bait

There are seven types of Asian carp, but only two of these types, the bighead carp and the silver carp, are considered a threat at the moment. The Great Lakes Fishery

Bighead, Silver, Grass, and Black Carp, even though each its own distinct species, all fall under the name “Asian Carp.” They can weigh anywhere from 60 to 110 pounds, and range from 40 to 60 inches in length. Asian Carp are considered an “invasive species,” an organism that is not native and has negative effects on our economy, environment, or our health. Catfish farmers imported Asian Carp long ago to consume algae in ponds. The carp slowly escaped and migrated to the Mississippi River, then eventually to the Great Lakes.

Now days times have changed. You can no longer enjoy the things you once could. It has become dangerous to waterski or to even enjoy a boat ride down the river due to the Asian carp. These fish are startled easily by boats, and small watercraft. They can jump ten to twelve feet out of the water causing damage to boats and injuring humans. I have heard of people getting cuts from the fins, black eyes, concussions, broken noses and jaws, and even knocked unconscious from this species of fish. Not only are these Asian Carp causing physical damage, they are wreaking havoc on the ecological system. The main concern from the Asian Carp is the dangerous effects that it is bringing to our ecosystem. As an avid fisherman, this is of great concern to me. This will not only affect me as a fisherman, but also possibly hunters, bird watchers, boaters, even jet skiers and water skiers are

These two basic questions will answer a lot, and eliminate most lure choices right off the bat. For example, if the musky is holding in 6' of water with heavy cabbage weeds that top off near the surface, a deep diving crankbait or jig is definitely out of the question. Even if the biggest fish in town was just caught on one of these lures. Get my drift so far?

In most of Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, the common carp are farmed as a delicacy, but in other parts of the world such as Australia and Canada, they are considered a pest. These pests, when small, could be confused as goldfish, but when older, they can be distinguished by a pair of whiskers at each side of their mouth. They have thick lips, a single dorsal fin and small eyes. They are also commonly a yellow-brown colour, varying in darker and lighter scales, depending on their location. They were introduced to Australia somewhere between the 1850’s, to the 1870’s, and since then millions, if not billions have been bred and are now infestation the rivers of

The black carp inhabits large river/lake habitats, and is native to many Pacific drainages located in eastern Asia. It is also known as snail carp, Chinese black carp, Chinese roach, black amour, or black Chinese roach. They appear blackish brown with blackish grey fins with an elongated/laterally compressed body. On average, they grow to 3+ feet and weigh an average of 33 pounds. They are known to live for 33 years. Currently, they are in research facilities in the United States, but have not been spotted in the wild. However, if they were to get into the wild, this would heavily disrupt the mussel/snail populations, downsizing them. In addition to this, other native fish, turtles, birds, and vertebrates such as raccoons, otters, and muskrats would be affected via competition for food. They can also host many pathogens, allowing infection of many other

In a experimental design to test the effects of invasive fish species and their trophic impact on the environment. They compared two invasive fishes, the Cyprinus carpio and Carassius auratus testing on the native fish crucian carp. The experiments were conducted in pond enclosures, using all species in “allopatric” and “sympatric” treatments, where the number of fish per treatment is kept constant. The results showed that there were significant alterations in their trophic position between allopatry and sympatry, driving this was intra-specific and overall imposed that not only that invasive species affected the growth of the native fish but also impacted the whole trophic ecology of the ecosystem.

The threat of the Asian Carp entering Lake Michigan’s waterways has now become a serious issue. The main access into Lake Michigan for the Asian Carp would be through the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canals which connects to the Mississippi River. These natural waterways have also been connected to man made rivers to allow easier access to the lake for trading and transporting goods. Though along the river there are a couple of dams, this does not stop the Asian Carp, but merely slows the Carps movement.

A Bucket full of fine grain sand that was pre-supplied, a bucket of freshly dug Compost soil from a compost pile, and orange clay that was dug from a foot under the earth’s surface will be supplied. Corn seeds and clear cups will also be supplied for the experiment that will be conducted. Clear cups and corn seeds will be supplied.

Equally important,is what happens if the Asian Carp enter the Great Lakes and what effect they will have on the ecosystem. The entry of Asian Carp into the Great Lakes is shrouded in uncertainty, looking at what they done to the Mississippi and it’s numerous connecting streams and rivers, it could be catastrophic. As they been able to outnumber and out compete many of the native fish species. As well as, the Silver Carp’s defense mechanism being triggered by boat motors causing numerous injuries to fishermen and boaters. On the other hand the entry of the Asian Carp could in fact in some ways benefit the existing food chain and ecosystem. By providing a new food sources to already present species in the Great Lakes.

This rig has resulted in large carp captures from very pressured and difficult venues. Designed for the wariest of carp that’s seen every trick in the book. This rig is tangle proof and ideal for most lake bottoms.

Electric barriers are currently the only things protecting the Great Lakes from Asian carp. This barrier is similar to electric fences in people yards, it is meant to repel the fish rather than actually electrocuting them. It uses a strong electric field to repel the fish. These best work with larger fish. Fish smaller than two inches are able to have easier time getting through the barriers. There are some concerns with the electric barriers these include but are not limited to barges and other large vessels disrupting the electric field of the barriers and able to let fish get through the with the vessel. (Prieur, 2016) Another concern is power outages. Some carp may have already been able made pass of the barriers during a power outage

Asian carp are a group of fish out Asia. They were brought into America in the 1970s “to control the growth of algae in Arkansas aquaculture ponds” (Mears). The idea was that these fish would solely eat the algae. In the 1990s the Mississippi river saw huge floods, causing the water level of the aquaculture ponds to substantially rise (Mears). During this time the carp were flooded into the river (American). With no natural predators the fish reproduced. Asian Carp are an evasive and invasive species that have destroyed ecosystems across the U.S. Due to the shared water system of North America they are starting to make their way into Canada. Asian carp have left devastating impacts in their wake, despite efforts (both underway

The bighead and silver carp were imported from china in the 1970’s. Imported for the control of plankton but by the 1980’s they had found their way into the local waters and soon all over the state. They have established in just about every water source they could reach and compete for plankton with a large population of local fish. They are part of the animal kingdom and they are larger with silver scales. It is a tertiary consumer other than the occasional human but due to their bland taste they are often left on the shore to die.

Fishermen are concerned about this because fishing is a passion and Carp just are not fitting in around the United States and cause too much chaos (Sullivan). Submerged aquatic plants were almost deleted completely from shallow lakes over a 5 year process (Santucci). When they uproot the plants it creates turbulence. Turbulence is basically swirling up water and sediment from the bottom of the lake making the water unclear (Garcia). They usually create more turbulence in the spring of the year when they are spawning. They make excessive movements in the water and sometimes even aggressively. This has a lot to do with the temperature change from cold to warm and this is just the Carps way of overreacting to the new habitat (Monahan). Although they are active and moving during this time they do not eat very much. Carp are very difficult to catch when their spawning because they are usually not interested in food (Santucci). Some fishermen can still hook them when they're spawning, but they are very picky and wont go for just anything. Carp are especially abundant in man made lakes because they tend to be calmer waters which Carp prefer (Monahan). Also in man made lakes there tend to be less predators, which brings me to my next topic. The Carp really do not have any predators other than human. This is one reason they survive so long