Thread: Asian Carp Meeting Thursday

Someone should video record it. It would be best if the state did this themselves.

OK. I just got a call from Chris Reece of the Tourism Cabinet Secretary's Office. The meeting mentioned in the Paducah Sun write-up is not a public meeting. The public meeting will be held starting at 4:30PM but they will be seeking input rather than giving information. There will be individual interviews with commercial interests and such stating at 8:30.

I volunteered my services if there should be a committee of the public or a task force. Right now that isn't planned. I'm a huge advocate of commercial fishermen being the front line of this fight and as bad as I hate big government, I want to see some way to either subsidize or help keep prices high enough so the commercial fishermen and commercial processors can both make the amounts of $$ they need to keep them on the water and buying the catch. This is just the start of the process but I think most of us felt this wasn't going anywhere until the tourism interests got involved. We very well may have to start sharing our fishing waters with the commercial netters 12 months a year. My feeling is if it will just begin the process of stemming this tidal wave that is staring us right in the face, I'm 100% behind it. We may have nothing to gain personally but we have everything to lose.

You still need to RSVP to attend the 4:30 meeting.

Originally Posted by kylakelover

Found this on the KDWF site.
http://fw.ky.gov/Documents/asiancarprfi.pdf

Chris Reece asked each of us to download and fill out the questionnaire even though most of it doesn't seem to apply to us as sports fishermen. The early pages explain what they have in mind. Those of us who will be attending the 4:30 meeting can turn them in there or I will be glad to hand deliver them there.

Hopefully those that are interested will be able to attend. If not, there will be other opportunities to have your voices heard. The department is hoping to forge some new partnerships in the fight against Asian carp. The focus will of course continue to be on promoting commercial harvest. The department has and will continue to make this a top priority. We currently allow commercial netting for Asian carp year round in the lakes. We also already offer a 5 cents per pound subsidy for commercial fishermen who harvest from the lakes. Let me try to assure you that this is not a situation where the department is trying to downplay the issue. This meeting will explore other ways to increase commercial harvest in our lakes and rivers with a major focus on the lakes. The more harvest we have, the better off we will be.

Originally Posted by Amartinbio

Hopefully those that are interested will be able to attend. If not, there will be other opportunities to have your voices heard. The department is hoping to forge some new partnerships in the fight against Asian carp. The focus will of course continue to be on promoting commercial harvest. The department has and will continue to make this a top priority. We currently allow commercial netting for Asian carp year round in the lakes. We also already offer a 5 cents per pound subsidy for commercial fishermen who harvest from the lakes. Let me try to assure you that this is not a situation where the department is trying to downplay the issue. This meeting will explore other ways to increase commercial harvest in our lakes and rivers with a major focus on the lakes. The more harvest we have, the better off we will be.

Maybe you could get the KY Afield team to do a couple more shows on the subject ... not only showing the commercial fishing effort to control the population, but also the dangers to the public at large (skiers, tubers, boat riders, as well as anglers), and maybe even throw in the potential for diminished tourism $$

Like most, I don't think a "magic bullet" that would kill only the Asian Carp is in the near future ... so cranking up the commercial fishing aspect is our best "current" solution. And like any business, it has to be profitable to exist, let alone expand. I wish all the KDFWR team good luck in their endeavor to get a handle on this situation.

I am sure glad they are finally starting to focus on this huge problem. The other day I was at the Paris Landing bridge area and the wind was calm for a change. I could see Asian carp all around me near the surface. Made me feel a bit sick to my stomach. There must be millions of them in Kentucky Lake. Can't be good.

Thanks for keeping everyone informed.

Originally Posted by wolfhnd

Someone should video record it. It would be best if the state did this themselves.

X2


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Learned a few things tonight at the meeting that thought I would share.
1) at some point the real Media is going to need to kick start this venture. Reason, I believe the state tourism and f&w don't want it out because if the actual truth was out in the public eye, theirs would be black by now.

2) the government has admitted to the wrong doing that created this monster in the 70's by allowing the invasive fish to come over, we all knew this.
But, what I hadn't known was they admitted to stating they would never make it in the mighty Mississippi River after flood water reached them. Their science told them the fish could not live or survive in the river system.

3) they are looking for business ideas, propositions, and a way to increase supply to a very high demand for a product that is robust in inventory ( the population of Asian carp )

4) I truly believe that if they doubled the price per pound that fisherman would be coming back to these waters very quickly, and the supply chain will be fixed.

5) they are looking into possible distribution warehouse/s for the fisherman to drop their catch, and then the warehouse will distribute to the 3 processors.

6) Looking for possible real movement on this in December.

7) I asked a question about efficiency of these processors, and they said they have the latest in high tech equipment. That still doesn't tell me if they are efficient tho. The reason was because all they kept spatting about was the low margins for the processors.
Crazy math doesn't add up, paying roughly $0.15/lb for the raw material, frozen finished good sells for $4.99/lb, and fresh sells for $7.99/lb.
With the latest in hi tech equipment, they should standing in high cotton, but the fisherman are standing bloody, mucky, broken equipment and barely not making a profit.
Time to increase the costs of these goods that are in high demand!

We were urged to contact our congress leaders on this subject manner. I had brought some topics up that I have prior research on that they are asking for additional data and information. Also, one felt that bow fishing wouldn't put a dent in them. I called BS on that especially if they could get some pennies on the dollar per pound for these guys harvest, these arrowed fish can be ground up for fertilizer.
There would be national and regional tournaments weekly and monthly if they could get that arranged.

Doug was also there, and asked some good questions as well. I believe we both spoke well and behaved quite well. I even bit my tongue for a moment when one of them was trying to pass the buck back to me or the citizens, I almost lost it but held it together!

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