Asian carp: Kentucky Rodeo

[Carl Guffey]

<font size="3" face="georgia,palatino">Just got back from Gilbertsville Kentucky and the Kentucky Wildlife's Asian Carp Madness tournament. The wildlife division had a two day event using commercial fishermen as the contestants to round up asian carp on Kentucky and Barkley lakes. In two days the contestants gathered 82,953 lbs of carp. That in it self is a large number but from personal observation it is not a drop of water in a fifty gallon drum. </font></p>

<font size="3" face="Georgia">The event was set up as a way for the KY. WildlifeDiv. to study various capture techniques and to getcurrent data on actual numbers of by-catch and possible repercussions. Each group of fishermen had to have an on the water observer who was responsible for recording the time nets were placed in the water and removed. Records also werekept as to the length and mesh of each net. They were allowed to set up to 1000 yards of net at one time. Another job of the observer was a complete and detailed report on the exact types and numbers of by-catch. The participants were not allowed to leave there nets for any reasons and the length of drift was usually no more than an hour.</font></p>

<font size="3" face="Georgia">I talked with several of my fellow observers and the numbers of by-catch was minimal. I worked for two days with an on water average of 8 hrs. The participants I observed had an average of less then one bass per one hundred yards of net and all of the bass I witnessed were release successfully. To place this in context, the four man crew I worked with could place and retrieve a thousand yards of nets 4 times in four hours.</font></p>

<font size="3" face="Georgia">Now the sad news:</font></p>

<font size="3" face="Georgia">Asian carp are a menace. You haven't lived until you have had ten pound fish bouncing off or landing in your boat while underway. It does not matter if you are on plane or just idling around the sound of the motor scares them and they launch out of the water. The bigger the fish the higher they can leap. These fish are filter feeders despite carrying the carp name. The carp are eating machines and just swim and feed. They can totally cleanse the water of all phytoplankton and algae's leaving nothing for the native fishes to feed on. Including Black Bass fry which have to have plankton to survive until they are big enough to feed on smaller prey. </font></p>

<font size="6" face="Georgia">The Asian carp is in the Tennessee River and they are </font></p>

<font size="6" face="Georgia">coming...........</font></p><font size="3" face="Georgia"><font size="3" face="Georgia">

</p></font></font>

 

[Carl Guffey]

<font size="3" face="georgia,palatino">Fish picture: sunrise on Barkley Lake</font>

 

[Carl Guffey]

<font size="2" face="georgia,palatino">A boat full of fish.emoBang This is from 1- 100 yard net. Fish average was 6-7 lbs. OH yeah, it is three feet deep.</font>

 

[jig fisher]

Unbelievable!!! Hope a solution is found soon.

 

[rsimms]

According to the professionals the solution is more processing plants and commercial fishermen willing to catch them: http://www.nooga.com/160588/asian-carp-invasion-headed-our-way/

 

[Carl Guffey]

rsimms - 3/18/2013 10:55 AM According to the professionals the solution is more processing plants and commercial fishermen willing to catch them: http://www.nooga.com/160588/asian-carp-invasion-headed-our-way/

</p>

<font size="3" face="georgia,palatino">As noted in your article 2 cents a pound won't get the job done. Catching a couple of thousand pounds of fish a day is back breaking work. A local market must be in place to get the price up to around 30 cents a pound. If these fish make it to Chickamauga in numbers the bass are toast. The bass fishery will die a certain death. Fry need plankton to survive from hatching. As the larger fish are caught out or die they will not be replaced.</font></p>

 

[churly]

How are these fish spreading upriver? There are 5 dams between there and here, how do they get through the locks and spillways against the current?

 

[Oldman]

its magic churls.lol

 

[smughal31]

I was driving my boat on the back of a slu on nick a jack this weekend and all of a sudden (what looked to be carp) started jumping everywhere as I ran across them. They were pinkish color. Could those be Some?

 

[Oldman]

lets hope not.

 

[smughal31]

That's what I said... There were a ton of them

 

[churly]

Were they launching out of the water like we see on tv?

 

[smughal31]

That's what I said... There were a ton of them

 

[smughal31]

Well the were smaller but they were coming completely out of the water above the boat but I was just idling

 

[SNUFFY]

churly - 3/19/2013 7:26 AM How are these fish spreading upriver? There are 5 dams between there and here, how do they get through the locks and spillways against the current?

</p>

nothing to keep them out while the lock gates are open to the lower side of the dams ....</p>

I guess you net the bottom of the locks themselves below the level of the barges but they they could still swim above the nets I guess </p>

 

[Carl Guffey]

churly - 3/19/2013 7:26 AM How are these fish spreading upriver? There are 5 dams between there and here, how do they get through the locks and spillways against the current?

</p>

<font size="3" face="georgia,palatino">The locks are a giant fish ladder. The fish enter and are raised and turned loose in the next impoundment. Just exactly like the zebra muscles. There is no current way to keep them from moving upstream. Creating a local market is the best solution to keeping the numbers down. So ask for Asian carp at your local restaurants if you want to save a bass population in Chickamauga.</font></p>

 

[Carl Guffey]

SNUFFY - 3/19/2013 11:06 AM

churly - 3/19/2013 7:26 AM How are these fish spreading upriver? There are 5 dams between there and here, how do they get through the locks and spillways against the current?

</p>

nothing to keep them out while the lock gates are open to the lower side of the dams ....</p>

I guess you net the bottom of the locks themselves below the level of the barges but they they could still swim above the nets I guess </p>

</p>

<font size="3" face="georgia,palatino">Nets will not keep them out. When we were netting at Barclay the fish could and would jump over the nets to escape.</font></p>

 

[derek81]

I see a new sport coming, carp baseball! One man idles the boat the other swings for the fence....lol

 

[Carl Guffey]

derek81 - 3/19/2013 3:51 PM I see a new sport coming, carp baseball! One man idles the boat the other swings for the fence....lol

</p>

<font size="3" face="georgia,palatino">Have you ever been hit by a forty pound fish while moving? Some of the big heads get even bigger. The larger they are the higher they can jump. If asian carp make it here in any numbers skiing, tubing,and jetskis are done. But so is running down the lake in a bass boat at 70 plus. A 20 pounder in the chest could be fatal...emoDoh </font></p>

 

[derek81]

Carl Guffey - 3/19/2013 4:03 PM

derek81 - 3/19/2013 3:51 PM I see a new sport coming, carp baseball! One man idles the boat the other swings for the fence....lol

</p>

<font size="3" face="georgia,palatino">Have you ever been hit by a forty pound fish while moving? Some of the big heads get even bigger. The larger they are the higher they can jump. If asian carp make it here in any numbers skiing, tubing,and jetskis are done. But so is running down the lake in a bass boat at 70 plus. A 20 pounder in the chest could be fatal...emoDoh </font></p>

It was clearly a joke....I'd use a 12g shotgun, not a baseball bat. haha emoParty