rocky2
Silver Member
it's getting so ya can't even spend a relaxing day fishing.
CHICAGO — It's been referred to by scientists as a marine vacuum cleaner and it has made its way into the waterways of the Midwest.
Now the race is on to keep this invasive fish out of the Great Lakes, where scientists worry it could throw off the balance of the ecosystem and threaten the lives of thousands of other fish.
Since the mid-1990s, populations of two types of Asian carp --silver and bighead -- are estimated to have increased by more than a thousand along a stretch of the Illinois River. And they're getting harder to control by the day.
The fish were imported from Asia for aquaculture purposes in the early 1970s and escaped from fish farms in the South in the early '90s, before making their way into the Mississippi River basin, then up the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. And they grow fast -- up to 12 inches and 12 pounds in one year. Some species of Asian carp have been known to tip the scales at more than 100 pounds, and eclipse lengths of about 6 feet.
The carp also pose a threat to humans.
They are capable of jumping up to 10 feet in the air and into fisherman's boats. They also jump up at water-skiers and others in the water.
"They come right up and jump right in the boat, or jump over the boat," said Jerry Carlock, a commercial fisherman. "I've known guys that have gotten hit beside the head."
"We've had several staff members hit by these guys when we're sampling," said Pegg. "We've had stories of people with broken noses, black eyes. So there's a very high risk of getting hurt when you're out here on the river these days."
CHICAGO — It's been referred to by scientists as a marine vacuum cleaner and it has made its way into the waterways of the Midwest.
Now the race is on to keep this invasive fish out of the Great Lakes, where scientists worry it could throw off the balance of the ecosystem and threaten the lives of thousands of other fish.
Since the mid-1990s, populations of two types of Asian carp --silver and bighead -- are estimated to have increased by more than a thousand along a stretch of the Illinois River. And they're getting harder to control by the day.
The fish were imported from Asia for aquaculture purposes in the early 1970s and escaped from fish farms in the South in the early '90s, before making their way into the Mississippi River basin, then up the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. And they grow fast -- up to 12 inches and 12 pounds in one year. Some species of Asian carp have been known to tip the scales at more than 100 pounds, and eclipse lengths of about 6 feet.
The carp also pose a threat to humans.
They are capable of jumping up to 10 feet in the air and into fisherman's boats. They also jump up at water-skiers and others in the water.
"They come right up and jump right in the boat, or jump over the boat," said Jerry Carlock, a commercial fisherman. "I've known guys that have gotten hit beside the head."
"We've had several staff members hit by these guys when we're sampling," said Pegg. "We've had stories of people with broken noses, black eyes. So there's a very high risk of getting hurt when you're out here on the river these days."