Bad News

[Speedy]

Friday, April 06, 2012
DNR Confirms Presence Of Silver Carp, Or Jumping Fish, In Iowa Great Lakes
http://expo.waittinteractive.com/pos...ver%20carp.jpg Silver carp The silver carp in the above photo was NOT among those actually caught in the Iowa Great Lakes. The purpose of this photo is to show what a typical silver carp looks like. (Spirit Lake)-- The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is now confirming not only the presence of big head carp in the Iowa Great Lakes, but silver carp, or the so-called jumping fish, as well.

DNR officials say a commercial fishing company caught 55 silver carp and 82 big head carp March 28th and 29th in the same general area of East Lake Okoboji where two big head carp were netted by the DNR last August during a population survey.

On April 3rd (Tues.), one silver carp was caught by the same commercial angler on Big Spirit Lake. A second netting effort on April 4th (Wed.) in East Lake Okoboji resulted in only two big head and two silver carp.

Joe Larscheid, Chief of the DNR's Fisheries Bureau, tells KUOO news the invasive species got into the Iowa Great Lakes as a result of flooding in July of last year when water overtopped the dam on the Little Sioux River at Linn Grove.

Larscheid says now the question is how many asian carp are actually in the Iowa Great Lakes and what impact, if any, they'll have...Click here for comment from Joe Larscheid

Larscheid says that makes installation of an electric fish barrier at the Lower Gar Outlet even more of a priority now...Click here for comment from Joe Larscheid

Fundraising for the barrier has now reached $600,000. The project has an estimated cost of $700,000. Officials hope to have a more accurate cost estimate April 9th. That's when information on different barriers is due from prospective companies.

For now, Larscheid is urging anyone who catches a big head or silver carp to report it to the DNR... Click here for comment from Joe Larscheid

The carp should be taken to the Spirit Lake Fish Hatchery in Orleans for positive identification.

The asian carp that were seined from the Iowa Great Lakes were utilized by a local fish processing company.

[SinOrSwim]

Who and why are their commercial fisherman working Spirit Lake? Just curious?

[Speedy]

Probably Stoller Fisheries from Spirit Lake. There have been crews here from Brown's Valley,Mn, in the past. Stoller fisheries processes carp to make Gelfelte(sp?) Fish for distribution nationwide.

[Perch Slayer]

Heard all the discussion about the electric fence deterrant @ lower Gar and understandably so, but why no discussion about the Spirit Lake spillway? I guess I'd like to see the DNR be as proactive as possible in containing/controlling this invasive species that has the potential of upsetting the entire fishery and especially if Spirit hasn't been infected yet, let's do something now to prevent that from becomming an issue later in Big Spirit.