It seems we are losing the battle to stop these fish from spreading even further than the considerable foot-hold they've already taken in the MS River and tribs.  And everything I've read seems to point to one specific problem - lack of predation.  So why don't we just solve the problem?  This is the USA!  This is the country that beat polio, invented nuclear energy, and grows golf courses in Arizona.  Why can't we just come up with a top shelf predator that will eat these flying fish like tic-tacs?  Take the Goonch (Bagarius yarrelli) for example.  This thing is known to feed on the Siamese Giant carp, a species that grows to more than double the size of a bighead or flying silver carp.  Can't we use some Goonch DNA and cross it with an American Flathead to come up with a toothy, titan sized catfish that is predisposed to have a bad attitude toward carp?  Or how about crossing a Muskellunge with the Alligator Gar?  Create a new species that can thrive in a wider temperature/condition range than either the cool water musky or warm, slack water gar.  That would be awesome, ten foot muskygar or garkellunge, fish that have no interest in little 15 inch bass but would gladly eat 40-60 inch carp.  Maybe do a massive gill netting project to remove as many carp as possible right before unleashing a few billion of these predators.  I know, I know, kind of like fighting fire with fire but if the Great Lakes ecosystem goes, fishing in the USA as we know it will change forever, never to return.  Billions of dollars and thousands of jobs will be lost.         

You are not making sense. Creating a "super predator" that will only eat the 40 - 60 "carp ? What happens to the small Carp ? What will thae small "predators" eat ? Do they breed ? What happens when they are done with the Carp ? All invasive species are brought to a new enviroment by man. You are proposing to creat an new problem instead of killing the one we have now. I live in Maryland and if we catch a Northern Snakehead we kill it. We now have a growing problem with the Rusty Crayfish in our streams and rivers. They eat native crayfish and eat eggs of game fish. This was done by mans hand because when he was done using it as bait  he trew it out.Or it got off the hook it survived. Either or man put it there as did he put that damn carp in the water.

 

"it doesn't matter if the horse is blind....Just load the cart anyway!!!" John Madden NFL Hall Of Fame) Fred Jefferson,MD (NAFC LM) (NAHC TLM)

You're right there, we have only ourselves to blame. In my opinion rusty crayfish are a little easier to solve than carp though. If bigger numbers of channel cats (most MD waters already have them I'm sure) were to be stocked they would absolutely devistate the RC population. They would eat the others as well, but they could be simply re-introduced. As far as asian carp go, attempts are being made to stop them. DNR are employing electrofishing. Look up "red neck fishing" on youtube and you'll find some locals trying to do their part. I'm sure if the asian crap progress up rivers to the great lakes, barriers will be implicated. The problem is simple, we have many ways to solve the current problems; but every solution causes it's own new and unique problem.

Agreed I look at it the same way as the Northern Snakehead. It may be a hardcore predator but so are native species. They may take an area by storm but things level out the Smallies and Cats will take care of controlling the RC's . Just like they have localised the Snakeheads. None of them come out of the egg full grown and are subject to the same rules of nature.

 

"it doesn't matter if the horse is blind....Just load the cart anyway!!!" John Madden NFL Hall Of Fame) Fred Jefferson,MD (NAFC LM) (NAHC TLM)

Yep. The one thing (in most cases) most capable of combatting invasive species are the critters that were there in the first place. After all, they have been doing it for a longggg time.

I agree that we need to let the native predators take care of business, but that also means us as fisherman need to do our part. I am currently going after the common carp because it is making it harder for other fish to survive in the creeks and rivers i fish. I have see the size in cats go down by at least 20-25lbs in the past 3 years. I should say where i fish most people wont go because it is over looked and hard to get to. Also id rather catch and release cause i like the fight that they put up rather than the taste of their flesh.

NE Indiana member since 2/17/09

Just put a bounty on 'em! 25 cents a head! Could be processed into cat food!

A couple of points on asian carp. They are very prolific but need specific conditions to reproduce. There are so many of them now that no predator could control them. They are filter feeders, so they cannot be caught hook and line except by snagging, and given the current economy no state can afford to pay a bounty. There is a commercial netter working in Il. that is proccessing the fish and selling them as food to China to the tune of 3 million lbs. a year. Tom

i dont know how many of you are bow hunters but if anyone watches the sportsman channel you know Chris Brackett and his show Arrow Affliction. i love it, my point though is he has a contest going on for 5 k to whoever kills the most flying carp with a boat paddle. LOL its actually fun. check it out, hes on my facebook.

I'm sure that asian carp have their place, but it sure as heck isn't the Mississippi! Kill them when you can, any way you can. Tom

kill them all they don't belong here. Some of them are dangerous and they destroy the ecosystem. we need to kill them all

If I was a bow hunter I would love to snipe those carp as they come flying out of the water!
TIGHT LINES!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuF6n6f50Z4 would love to try this someday

I agree! I live in west TN, so you know I hear a lot of crap about these fish. Just do the same as you would a snakehead. Kill it.