This article is a good summary of whats been going on with Asian Carp in Missouri. Seems that after an initial boom, their populations tend to decline and then stabilize at much lower levels. And they haven’t effected the quality of Mid-Missouri’s cat fishery at all. Not that they are a good thing, but they are also not the end of all other species in a system.
Here is the key info BK…
The zooplankton supply, the source of food for many fish, is much less abundant now, a fact that was discovered after a two-year study, Chapman said. Since an earlier study done in 1979 by MU graduate student D.K. Jennings, the total rotifer zooplankton, microscopic invertebrate animals, has decreased by 50 percent, and crustacean zooplankton is down to a mere 10 percent of the original number found by Jennings.
Because the 1979 data was collected before the abundance of Asian carp, and the current data after their overpopulation, the dramatic decline of zooplankton may be because of their presence, but Chapman said it is difficult to determine from only two sets of data.
Since the plankton supply is low and silver carp are able to eat smaller plankton particles, they can prevent other plankton eaters from finding any, Chapman said.
Unless they are able to find another food source, filter-feeding fish like paddlefish and gizzard shad could be affected, as well as baby fish of many otherspecies, which almost always eat plankton, Chapman said.
The “other” species are also gamefish…like Walleye… the article is about the Silver carp but those low plankton levels are dramtically affecting the other species.
When I was a little kid, many years ago, the Common Carp was Going To Destroy Fishing As We Know It . They were unstoppable, and it was inevitable that all the lakes were going to be ruined. Then it was Hydrilla. Hydrilla was Going To Destroy Fishing As We Know It . Then the it milfoil, Going To Destroy Fishing As We Know It . Next up was White Ruffe, Round Goby’s, and Spiny Water Fleas. Going To Destroy Fishing As We Know It . Lately along comes zebra muscles, Quagga muscles, and Rusty Crayfish. Yup, Going To Destroy Fishing As We Know It.
Now we have the Asian Carp at our doorstep. And what are telling us? Going To Destroy Fishing As We Know It.
Now I’m not going to sit here and suggest that invasive species are a good thing, but perhaps Nature adjusts and finds a level short of total disaster.
Rootski
I don’t have as many miles on my tires as you do Rootski but I’m with ya.
MAN is going to “Destroy Fishing As We Know It”. Long before mother nature destroys herself. Everything from harvest (overharvest and/or poor selective harvest practices), to plain out simple destroying habitat.
These particular criters didn’t swim from China to Winona MN. MAN gave them a ride. Now the question becomes ~ How will mother nature balance the eco system?
I don’t believe for one minute MAN and all his wonderful words of wisdom and “data” can answer that question. We’re too stupid.
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These particular criters didn’t swim from China to Winona MN. MAN gave them a ride. Now the question becomes ~ How will mother nature balance the eco system?
You have that right! All it took was a flood in Missouri. If you guys up north get more of them how long do you think it will take someone to try and take them to some lakes for a food source. I bet DNR will not think highly of that.
Common Carp, milfoil, zebra muscles, and Quagga muscles have all dramatically affected our lakes. Some are more impacted than others. And, in the case of zebra and quagga muscles we are just getting started.
I don’t doubt that the abundance of Asian carp has varied since their establishment in the middle Miss. But, I suspect that we will see more boom cycles in future years. Common carp have a similar life history: long lived individuals that occasionally spawn huge year classes. Asian carp spawn well in high flow years, and maybe not at all during low water years. But, they are long lived and the damage is done by the largest individuals (who eat the most). One good year class could take 20 years to get rid of.
Will all of our native fish go extinct? No, but I am not looking forward to the changes they will create.
Good post Tyler.
And it brings us back to the question of money.
How much do we need to spend on this before we realize it’s all for nothing?
I’m all for reasonable actions to prevent any invasive from getting into a native ecosystem. The problem is that it seems to be a pretty broad spectrum depending who you talk to about what is reasonable.
That’s a big number Bk. Like you’ve stated, it may be the only hope of stopping the fish ladder at L&D3…
What fish ladder?
All of the sudden I can’t get an update on it.
Must not have been that important in the first place. 
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And it brings us back to the question of money.
How much do we need to spend on this before we realize it’s all for nothing?
BK, one thing at a time! As soon as we get the Vikes stadium funded, we can tackle the Asian Carp. If you’d back that project, we could move on……… 
That’s not so silly there Eric. At least with a stadium there’s an end to the money pit.
Until we need a new on of course.
Keep on Shufflin’ 
The electric barrier in the Chicago canal costs $20,000 per day to operate and blocks a 200′ wide channel. In reading the article about the proposed lock barriers the engineer claims it would cost ~$3,000/ year and only operate when the lock was open. If it works, that actually makes sense at high head dams like Ford and Saint Anthony Falls. It would be the most effective and the least intrusive.
Setting up a continuous barrier that can stop fish across an 800′ wide river at full flood stage is another beast entirely. The logistics and expense should quietly kill that idea.
In my opinion the DNR needs to move past prevention and into management. According to the DNR’s own plan preventing the introduction is unlikely in the long term. Check. Already past that point. Next, they want to develop “management strategies” and “control techniques”. Looks like we are on to phase two. Except, they don’t have a phase two…
Phase II.
1. Put a bounty on them. $20,000 per day will kill 200 fish at a $100 a day. Hell ~ the mere costs associated to produce the DNR PLAN is worth at least 200 more fish! Yet ~ all we did was talk & type.
2. Impose heavy penality for any/all caught transporting, farming, or planting. $100 per fish. Loss of hunting/fishing privileges for 10 years. Right Arm!
A bounty is the answer. Use some of mans “best” attributes ~ ABILITY TO DESTROY & $$ GREED $$ ~ to your advantage. Eradication will be a tenth of the overall cost.
The only conceern i see with a bounty is that more people would be fishing and how would that affect the other species of fish? There would have to be smaller bag limits or a strict catch and release policy i would think. Also, the heavy foot traffic and the resultant trash that goes with it. I dont know how it is there, but down here it nothing to see all kinds of garbage spread all over the bank and floating down the river. I couldnt imagine doubling or tripling that with a bounty for fish x.
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Phase II.
1. Put a bounty on them. $20,000 per day will kill 200 fish at a $100 a day. Hell ~ the mere costs associated to produce the DNR PLAN is worth at least 200 more fish! Yet ~ all we did was talk & type.
2. Impose heavy penality for any/all caught transporting, farming, or planting. $100 per fish. Loss of hunting/fishing privileges for 10 years. Right Arm!
A bounty is the answer. Use some of mans “best” attributes ~ ABILITY TO DESTROY & $$ GREED $$ ~ to your advantage. Eradication will be a tenth of the overall cost.
It is pretty well documented that these things are really tough to catch by hook and line based on what they eat (plankton). Unless you allow people to angle for them by a means other than what is currently legal, this would never work.
The only legal ways to catch Asian carp in MN right now would be dip netting, bow fishing or spearing. Though I imagine if there was a problem it would be fairly easy to legalize snagging or trapping on the river. I don’t know how hard it would be to get a commercial license to trap fish right now, but it seems like the dnr can give out commercial permits with very little over site. A bounty would be great, but it would have to be as effective as an electric barrier.
Here’s a hair brained idea that I have no idea if it’s even possible.
I’ve always wondered if theres any way to genetically alter these fish to either die off or introduce a less than desirable feature that would significantly effect their long term survival. Is there any research going into that?
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…but it would have to be as effective as an electric barrier.
Oh that ineffective?
Just think of all the things an electronic barrier if going to kill of. Gamefish fry, aquatic insects and bait fish. And just think, all it is going to take is a malfunction or power outage and the barrier becomes another waste.
I’d have to agree with Tyler that it doesn’t sound like the population is stabilizing but more going into a cycle of booms and die outs.
I wonder if we introduced the wels catfish, if they’d eat the asian carp… and…everything else o.O
BK would need some bigger tackle then though.
I caught a Wels on the Minnesota last year. It had a Blue Cat in it’s mouth. I almost missed the bite because I was chasing Sasquatch in the woods. 
Lol, is that sarcasm pointing to people insisting they have caught wels here? (I’ve seen the drama unfold over the blue here before.)
Sarcasm? Me? No, never!
You soooo should have just seen my face as I wrote that out!
Lol,
Well the sarcasm was a given! o.O And I’ve seen what happens when anyone claims to have caught a blue up here. Was wondering if people had actually claimed to have had caught a wels here?
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Was wondering if people had actually claimed to have had caught a wels here?
While awake?
This guy was caught by Ron a few years back near Black Dog.
I dare anyone to say it’s not a 
Blue!
I think there was a guy on another forum who last year claimed to have caught a Wels in MN…
There was some dope about 5 years ago who claimed to have caught baby flatheads by hand near the Coon Rapids dam too.
By the way, have you tried that spot out lately DFresh? The suckers should be in there now. I figure we are about 2-3 weeks ahead in water temps. I usually catch them mid April.
Nice blue. I certainly don’t doubt their existence here and there up here, especially given they tried stocking them up here in the St Croix once upon a time, I just know people get the “YOU GOT A CHANNEL, HUSH” when anyone says they got a blue (which I can understand, cause when I first started chasing kitties, the drastically different shades of colors channels could be confused me at first)
Thought it would have been entertaining to see what unfolded here if someone was touting to have caught a wels o.O
Granted at the rate that people are bringing exotic stuff into the country, it wouldn’t surprise me if we did see it someday.
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