Re: Anybody else deal with asian carp?
jigngrub, not going to get in a pissing match.
The only saving grace is the zebra mussels may have eaten all the food normally eaten by the carp. That is most likely why they havent gone past the cesspool that is the Chicago channel.
Not trying to get into a pissing match, just saying if they've been past the barrier for 4 yrs. and no one has actually seen or captured one... doesn't that seem a little fishy to you?
There is the clear and fairly infertile water factor of the great lakes that could keep the population down, but even a bigger factor is this:
[QUOTELIFE CYCLE BIOLOGY AND LIFE HISTORY: Bighead carp are exclusively
freshwater fish.
They prefer large rivers and will not spawn in still water or small
streams but do inhabit lakes and ponds. Spawning occurs after spring rains have flooded
the rivers and when the temperature of the water reaches 77o F. External fertilization
takes place and the eggs float downstream. Bighead carp grow rapidly and once they
reach maturity they are able to gain a pound or more per month. They feed on
zooplankton but they are opportunistic feeders, meaning if zooplankton levels are low
they will eat phytoplankton and detritus. They filter the water through their comb-like
gill rakers so they only consume those organisms small enough to penetrate their filter
feeding apparatus.][/QUOTE]
If they do get into the great lakes in numbers, they'll have to find a decent sized river with a good amount of flow to spawn in... and there aren't that many large rivers that flow into the great lakes. This will make them easy to target in the spring for population control.
I'm thinking if they do get into the great lakes in numbers they're going to head for Niagra River and the St. Lawrence Seaway (River), this is prime Asian Carp breeding and living quarters. Lots of current for breeding and pretty fertile too.
Once they make it to the St. Lawrence... who cares? Let them pester the snot out of the Quebecois, it'll serve them right for letting the Sea Lamprey into the great lakes. The Sea Lamprey is
the most destructive and usless invasive species in North America.
