Thread: Are we seeing the beginning of the end on KY and Barkley?

For the people that don't think these carp aren't hurting anything wait 10 more years with nothing done about them and that's all that will be in Kentucky & Barkley! These fish never sleep eating 24/7 365 they will starve our native fish fry out! It's going to get worse and worse every year. Go take a ride on the Ms river and back bays & sloughs and u will see what these lakes are going to be like in a few years. There's so many in the Ms river that u could sink your boat with them every day. YouTube jumping carp on Ms or Illinois rivers this is what we got coming every where there at & I think the great lakes are next an electric fence ain't going to keep them out forever! We need somebody working on this problem.

Do these things have a natural predator of any kind . Looks like eagles would be making a haul on one or two . There is a halarious you tube video of some guys whacking the the things on ski's with bats and tennis rackets .

Originally Posted by Xpress x56

For the people that don't think these carp aren't hurting anything wait 10 more years with nothing done about them and that's all that will be in Kentucky & Barkley! These fish never sleep eating 24/7 365 they will starve our native fish fry out! It's going to get worse and worse every year. Go take a ride on the Ms river and back bays & sloughs and u will see what these lakes are going to be like in a few years. There's so many in the Ms river that u could sink your boat with them every day. YouTube jumping carp on Ms or Illinois rivers this is what we got coming every where there at & I think the great lakes are next an electric fence ain't going to keep them out forever! We need somebody working on this problem.

So there aren't any crappie,catfish, skipjack, and shad left in the rivers or lower lakes? I agree they are a problem, but this is getting a little blown out of proportion. And what does anyone think they are really going to do about it?

The general "official" consensus is to encourage more private industry in making a "market" for these carp...

1 problem ...carp bring 0.15 cents/pound...catfish bring 0.50 cents/pound ...(0.15 vs 0.50... Which one seems more lucrative to the commercial fishermen..??)

China wants them....all of them...(carp is a delicacy to them)..

The problem is...china wants them fresh...expensive problem to overcome...

The industry in Wickliff is "Flash Freezing" the carp for shipping...(I have not heard how china's reaction to this is yet)...

Officials and legislators are trying to obtain "Grants" for entrepreneurs to build more processing plants..to increase the "Demand" for carp....which will, in turn...encourage the commercial fishermen for the "Supply" part...

We shall see...I just hope Washington doesn't wait too long ...

Rickie

Originally Posted by pab1981

So there aren't any crappie,catfish, skipjack, and shad left in the rivers or lower lakes? I agree they are a problem, but this is getting a little blown out of proportion. And what does anyone think they are really going to do about it?

The places that I fish they are really thick we don't catch near the fish we use to plus the ones we catch are starving to death! Paper thin stunted grow for sure. And I really don't know what there going to do about it? And the fish biologist I've talked to only answer is to commercial fish them. Just remember these fish are only starting to get a foot hold in these waters I can only imagine how bad it's going to be in 10 years if they go unchecked?

Originally Posted by pab1981

So there aren't any crappie,catfish, skipjack, and shad left in the rivers or lower lakes? I agree they are a problem, but this is getting a little blown out of proportion. And what does anyone think they are really going to do about it?

There is a very delicate balance that has to be maintained in any Ecosystem in order for native species to survive. Tip those scales either way and it initiates change. These waters will only support so many fish. I would prefer that those fish be native species.

The attitude that "nothing can be done about it" will insure the problem will continue to grow.

The Asian Carp are gonna kill these lakes and our grandkids will see it.

I'm not so sure the "commercial" idea is going to help control the problem, let alone resolve the problem. Consider : China & other Asian countries want OUR carp, because our waters are way less polluted than theirs are ... and the fish taste better to them. These processing plants are being built & staffed, and the commercial fishermen are encouraged to bring these fish to the plants. What's in it for the processing plants, to spend all that money to get rid of the very fish that's making them rich ?? Wouldn't a sustainable crop of carp be more to their liking ?? Do we really think they're building these plants with "built in obsolescence" ??

Now don't get me wrong ... I applaud Ms. Angie Yu for her efforts in starting up the plant & getting a market going for these fish, bringing jobs & money to the region, and so forth. I just don't think these fish are "going away" ... regardless of whatever actions are taken. Their numbers "may" be dealt a minor blow by the commercial netting, but with their growth rate & spawn rate I just don't see a major dent being dealt to them. And that's not taking into account the fact that these fish got into KY/Barkley Lake via the connection to the Ohio/Tenn/Mississippi rivers ... and there's no way to stop them from continuing to use those waterway connections.

Short of coming up with some way to exterminate those two SPECIFIC species, without harming other species or further contaminating our waters ... I feel the outlook is bleak for ANY body of water that these fish can get into & survive/thrive in.

... cp

Here's a cpl article's I've read! Not sure these are real solutions but doin something is better than doin nothing!

'Judas' fish could help wipe out Asian carp

Five Ways To Stop Asian Carp | Popular Science