Carp Sounds Alarm

[Viking12]

It's an ugly brute with a gaping mouth and eyes that hang low on its face. Someday soon, with two of its equally odious cousins, it could take over Minnesota's rivers and lakes, squeezing out native species. Unless somebody stops them.

That's why the arrival of a 27-pound bighead carp in the St. Croix River on Monday triggered alarm among Department of Natural Resources officials, who fear the invasive carp could damage Minnesota's aquatic ecosystems and threaten its treasured walleyes and sunnies.

Naturalists said that the lunker probably swam upstream from Iowa and that there's no sign the carp are reproducing in Minnesota.

Nonetheless, its arrival couldn't have occurred at a more politically opportune time. Gov. Mark Dayton has proposed $16 million in state bonding to rebuild the Coon Rapids dam as a barrier to stop the carp from spreading to Minnesota's prime fishing lakes north of the Twin Cities. State officials are also pressing federal authorities to close, at least temporarily, one of the lock and dams between Red Wing and Minneapolis to create a barrier farther downstream.

"This is not a crisis," said Luke Skinner, the DNR invasive species supervisor. Asian carp have been found in Minnesota seven times since 1996, most recently in January 2009. "But they are knocking on our door," he said.


http://www.startribune.com/local/120290954.html

[MineralMan]

1. If they netted one, there are more.

If the things would take bait, lots more would be caught. They don't, so it's only the commercial fishermen netting buffalo and carp who will catch them, and there aren't that many of those commercial fishermen.

Note: Buffalo are fish. So named for their hump-backed appearance. In Minnesota, they grow to over 50 lb. You can catch them with bait. So far, I've only caught smaller ones. They're in the sucker family, and are pretty good eating. In fact, those commercial fishermen sell them to the local markets. Our supermarket has buffalo in its fish counter in the spring. I bought some once. Not bad.

[Viking12]

2. The MN and WI DNR response is not encouraging. Whistling past the graveyard.

"Nothing to see here. Move along"

[MineralMan]

3. Well, they're concerned, but there's not a helluva lot they can

do about this. The Missisippi river is open clear to Louisiana, and there's no real way to stop fish from migrating up it. The St. Croix dumps into the Mississippi just south of the Twin Cities, and there's no barricade there, either. The locks and dams on the Mississippi here will slow down the migration somewhat, but they can't be closed, due to the number of barges that have to go through them.

The process is inevitable. The fishing regulations require that any bighead carp or silver carp be turned in at the MN DNR office within 24 hours, but they're not fish that will be caught by anglers, since they're plankton eaters. The whole thing is a lost battle already.

Back in the 19th century, common carp were introduced to Minnesota under a government program designed to create a new food species. That hasn't worked out all that well, since they're now everywhere in Minnesota. I catch them sometimes while fishing for catfish, and my largest one weighed over 40 lb., caught in the Mississipi in downtown St. Paul. Fun fish to catch. I just released it, like I do everything else.

The biggest problem with controlling carp of all species is their size. They have no predators in these waters. They eat tons of plankton, so they interfere with the feeding of forage fish, which are the food of the game fish in the area.

The DNR isn't saying much because they know they can't stop the influx of these fish. There's simply no chance that they can do much of anything about them. Eventually, there will be a new balance in the river. Who knows exactly what it will be. Too bad anglers can't catch these plankton feeders. That would help with control.

[Viking12]

5. The locks can be fitted with electro fences. It is worth a try.

To say that there's nothing that can be done isn't true.

[MineralMan]

7. Impractical with the locks here, really. it really is.

They've thought about it, but the amount of traffic, and the size of the locks just about makes it impossible. It's easy to say, but very hard to implement.

And it's not just the barge traffic, either. I've taken my 12' aluminum boat through the Lock #2 in St. Paul many times. Tiny little boat, all alone in that big lock. It's funny as hell, but they have to open it for me. The river is for navigation here, and any boat can pass through. Even canoes. There's lots of traffic, and millions of cubic feet of water going through those locks all the time.

The electric fence deal isn't going to cut it with these fish. It's simply not, and the DNR and the Corps of Engineers know it.

[Confusious]

4. are the carp any good?

I know some fish are not good eats, is this one?

[MineralMan]

6. Actually, they are. Both the bighead and silver carp are

very good eating. The Chinese love them. Here in the U.S., not so much. Common carp are good, too, if somewhat bony. The best way to cook carp is to bake them whole, put the whole thing on the table, and take it apart, bite by bite.

With these new species, though, regular anglers won't ever catch them, since they don't take bait. The commercial fishing industry on the river is pretty sketchy, since the fish they're allowed to catch aren't popular as food here. Most of it gets processed into fish meal, and the profit is marginal for the fishermen.

The problem is in the public's acceptance of new fish species. What is liked in one part of the world is disgusting to people in another part of the world. Here in Minnesota, most people think the only fish worth eating is walleye. Silly people.

The Mississippi & St. Croix have numerous other species which are excellent eating, from catfish to buffalo, freshwater drum, and many others. But, people haven't tried them and think they wouldn't like them. It's funny to watch other anglers. They'll catch a 10 lb. freshwater drum, which will outfight any walleye in the river, and they curse and throw it back in disgust. I've eaten freshwater drum filets. They're much better than walleye. Firm, white fish with a great mild flavor. Easy to catch, and plentiful, too. People are funny. Catfish, too, are plentiful and come in sizes up to 50 lb. here in the river. Almost nobody fishes for them here, even though they're great eating and a good fish to catch. Nutsy.

I fish for everything. Since I release everything I catch, I don't care what I catch. I catch lots more fish that the other guys, and have a great time.

[Confusious]

9. Shit. they don't eat catfish? crazy

some beans, a little cornbread, and fried catfish. my idea of heaven on earth in a meal.

[MineralMan]

11. Yeah, I know, but it's habit. People are just weird that way.

People do eat catfish here, but they buy it in the store, imported from some fish farm somewhere. It's hilarious.

I can go any day here during the spring, summer, and fall down to the Mississipp river in downtown St. Paul and catch a 50 lb. pound bag of 5-10 lb. channel cats. I'll be all alone doing it, too, even on weekends.

People say they wouldn't eat catfish out of the river. It's all dirty, you know. But it's not. Not anymore. There are more fish in the Mississippi, including species that cannot survive in anything other than pristine water. I catch redhorse suckers up to 5 lb constantly, and they don't like dirty water. They make great cut bait for catfish, though. I take two rods with me. One light one that I use, baited with nightcrawlers to catch bait, and a big catfish rig. My biggest channel cat was 38 inches long and weighed over 25 lb, so you need something substantial.

This is dock fishing. If I took the boat out, I could catch even more, and have. But, I don't like using a 12' boat on the river so much.

Anyway, it's funny. When I fish from the downtown dock, I'm a tourist attraction, and have to answer all sorts of questions from tourists out for a stroll. If they're lucky, I'll hook a big something and they'll get to ask even more questions. It's great.

[DCKit]

8. +1 They have much in common with cockroaches (Kochroaches?) and other vermin.

If you see one, they are legion.

[MineralMan]

10. Pretty much.

They're already here, and will no doubt breed in these waters. What that means is difficult to determine. Our cold winters may slow things down. I guess we'll be finding out.