« Ind. Gov't. - "Attorney for East Chicago nets big contract " | Main | Ind. Gov't. - "Job seekers tap library computers in droves" »
Monday, May 03, 2010
Environment - "Kentucky tries to interest fishermen to haul in huge carp"
James Bruggers reports today in the Louisville Courier Journal in a story that begins:
They say they taste like tuna. Or cod. Or a cross between scallops and crabmeat.But whether Asian carp from Kentucky ends up on a restaurant plate, or as lobster bait, the state is working to develop markets for the fish they fear could — if left unchecked — threaten the ecological balance of the Ohio River and other waters.
“This is a pretty serious situation,” said Ron Brooks, director of fisheries for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “It’s definitely one of the most important problems we are going to have to deal with for a while.”
The silver and bighead varieties of Asian carp, have made their way up the Ohio from the Mississippi River, and have also gotten into the popular Barkley and Kentucky lakes in western Kentucky.
The fear is that these Asian carp, which can grow to 100 pounds, will crowd out more desirable native fish like sauger, white bass, crappie and catfish that help support a nearly $1 billion a year recreational fishing industry in Kentucky. They are also causing problems for people who fish for a living.
“It’s got so bad now, you can’t catch anything but them,” said commercial fisherman Ronnie Hopkins. “If we don’t do something about them, in another five years, there won’t be no bass and crappie, (and) no paddlefish.”
But it can get worse, Brooks said.
“All you have to do is look at the Illinois River and see how bad it can get,” Brooks said. — An overabundance of exotic carp there has caused sauger numbers to plummet, he said.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on May 3, 2010 10:37 AM
Posted to Environment