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August 2010 Walleye Watcher newsletter
Newsletter Editor: John Schenk
Latest News on the Asian Carp Invasion
Below are articles and links to articles recommended by Club Member Dave Kelch.
Very interesting. Take a look!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yS7zkTnQVaM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av8RGUKhVwA&feature=fvw
http://www.purplepug.com/Videos/Asian-Carp-Wabash-River-August/13187983_T9fdj#957217611_fEWWb-A-LB
KANSAS RIVER ASIAN CARP INFESTATION CRITICAL
Anglers warned that possession of prohibited species is illegal; native game fish threatened
PRATT — About five years ago, adult silver carp were first noticed in the Kansas River, leaping high in the air and endangering boaters. These non-native fish have a peculiar habit of leaping completely out of the water as a motorboat passes over, but their presence threatens more than boaters. Silver carp, along with the bighead carp, are extremely prolific breeders and threaten channel catfish, bass, walleye, crappie — all native game fish — as well as bait fish anywhere they are spread.
High water this spring has made the situation worse, creating a reproductive explosion of these fish, which, in addition to endangering native species, are illegal to possess alive. Biologists from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) are monitoring the situation, but without the help of responsible anglers, things could get much worse. As of Aug. 2, young-of-the-year (2 to 3 inches long) Asian carp were "stacked up by the hundreds of thousands" below Johnson County WaterOne Coffer Dam, according to KDWP aquatic nuisance specialist Jason Goeckler.
"I've never seen anything like this," the seasoned biologist said. "The water is just loaded with them. You can stick a dip net in and pull up 100 or more at a time, and our real concern is that — because they could easily be mistaken for shad or other minnows — anglers will put them in their bait buckets and take them to other waters."
Later that day, Goeckler and staff checked the Bowersock Dam at Lawrence and found more bighead carp. Although not in the same densities, they could easily be caught, and adult silver carp could be seen leaping into the falls. Asian carp were also reported congregating below the dam at Atchison State Fishing Lake.
Just putting these fish in a bait bucket is illegal. Silver carp and bighead carp are on the state list of species that are illegal to import, possess, or release alive in Kansas. That means they cannot be kept if taken in a seine, put in a bait bucket, or used for bait unless they are killed first. Violation is a Class C misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine.
While many anglers seine their own bait, few can readily identify one "minnow" from another. But it's easy to learn. Go online to kdwp.state.ks.us, then click "Fishing/Aquatic Nuisance Species/Aquatic Nuisance Species List/Asian Carp." Here you'll find pictures and detailed descriptions of the fish, as well as a link to a video on Asian carp by famous angler Bill Dance. Dance discusses not only how to indentify the fish but the dangers of their spread. This page also contains links to Asian carp management and a silver carp fact sheet, as well as information on other aquatic nuisance species, including an online education certification course to help viewers understand the issue and how to prevent spread of these species.
It is illegal for anglers to move bait from any body of water to another, and if anglers don't comply with this regulation, it will be more than a "nuisance" for them and their sport. Anglers could be destroying the thing they love most. Asian carp feed on plankton, algae, and aquatic insects. They are not sportfish and are rarely caught on hook and line.
Kansas anglers need to educate themselves about these destructive fish and take the necessary steps to prevent their spread. Currently, Asian carp can be found in the Big Blue, Kansas, Missouri, and Wakarusa rivers in Kansas. Any streams that connect to the Kansas or Missouri river will likely contain these fish, so use extreme caution with bait in these areas.
Remember:
- learn to identify Asian carp because it's illegal to possess them alive;
- you can seine your own bait, but legal bait fish can only be used in the waters where they were caught — it's illegal to move bait fish from one water to another;
- Asian carp have the potential to take over a fishery and destroy populations of desirable native fish.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Bryan Thomas (Levin): 202-228-3685
July 22, 2010 Garrette Silverman or Jennifer Scoggins (Voinovich): (202) 224-6296
VOINOVICH, LEVIN HAIL TWO MEASURES TO HELP STOP
ASIAN CARP FROM ADVANCING TO THE GREAT LAKES
WASHINGTON D.C. Sens. George Voinovich, R-Ohio and Carl Levin, D-Mich., today praised the inclusion of two critical provisions to combat Asian carp in a Senate appropriations bill.
The Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development included $18,550,000 for the Asian carp electric dispersal barrier in the Chicago sanitary and ship canal. The funding is $5.9 million greater than the administration’s request.
The panel also included a legislative provision that would authorize the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to take emergency action to stop Asian carp entering the Great Lakes via any connections with the Mississippi River Basin. This authority would extend to the flood zone between the Wabash River and the Maumee River in Indiana. The Army Corps currently has such emergency authority, which was previously requested by Levin and Voinovich, but it is limited to the Chicago waterway system. Levin and Voinovich, co-chairs of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force, along with six other senators called for the expanded authority last week, following revelations of the threat of Asian carp entering the Great Lakes Basin via the Wabash River in Indiana. Their letter can be viewed here.
“I am encouraged the Energy and Water Appropriations bill includes these provisions to combat the invasion of Asian Carp into the Great Lakes,” Sen. Voinovich, a member of the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, said. “If these aquatic menaces get into the Lakes, they will destroy a $7 billion fishery and harm the Great Lakes ecosystem. My colleagues understand how hard I have worked on this issue, and I appreciate their support when it comes to protecting the Great Lakes, a national treasure.”
“The appropriators clearly understand the urgent threat of Asian carp, and I am grateful to them for heeding our calls to include these key measures to help stop them from entering the Great Lakes,” Levin said. “These two critical measures will be significant tools in the fight against Asian carp, and I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate and House of Representatives to ensure they are in the final bill signed into law by the president.”
The Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development passed the bill on Tuesday. The legislation will next be considered by the full Senate Appropriations Committee.
- END -
Click the link below to read an editorial from the PD regarding Asian carp, along with an interesting article from TIME magazine online.
DAVE
http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2010/07/time_is_running_out_to_stop_th.html
http://ecocentric.blogs.time.com/2010/07/20/can-a-lawsuit-stop-the-asian-carp/
Dear Friends,
After months of further inaction by President Obama and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, we're going to court for round two against Asian carp.
Today my office filed a new lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois to force the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Chicago water authorities to take emergency action to block Asian carp from entering Lake Michigan.
The states of Ohio, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have all joined Michigan in this new legal effort to fight Asian carp and accelerate efforts to develop a permanent solution to protect the Great Lakes.
While you know the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take our case, they did not dismiss the merits of our case.
So today, we are suing the Obama administration and the Army Corps of Engineers, who are charged with protecting public resources and overseeing the management of the Chicago Area Waterway System in partnership with local water authorities in the Illinois federal court.
Asian Carp Found: We Need Emergency Action NOW
Our worst fears came true after Illinois authorities announced on June 22nd that a Bighead Asian carp was found in Lake Calumet, within striking distance of Lake Michigan. And when you find one carp, the experts say there are more nearby.
Stunningly, despite the mounting evidence, the Army Corps and Chicago authorities refused to temporarily close the O'Brien and Chicago locks. They've failed the apply fish poison in every location that tested positive for Asian carp eDNA. They've failed to comprehensively address all pathways linking Lake Michigan with carp-infested Illinois waterways. And they have failed to sufficiently accelerate the permanent separation of the Great Lakes Basin from the carp-infested Chicago Area Waterway System.
With every day that passes without serious action, the health of the Great Lakes and our $7 billion commercial and recreational fishing industries remain at risk. We cannot sacrifice thousands of jobs.
Inaction Won't Be Tolerated
For the past several months, the Army Corps has maintained its vocal commitment to combating Asian carp. The problem is, when you drill down past the rhetoric, all you'll find are half-hearted, insufficient attempts to confront the Asian carp invasion.
Because of their lack of urgency and inadequate measures - like poisoning canals in only a few spots - we have already faced Asian carp swimming their way toward Lake Michigan.
In today's lawsuit, we are calling on the Army Corps to step up and take all available efforts to block Asian carp passage in the waterways linked to Lake Michigan.
We're calling for commonsense emergency measures like block nets, fish poison where Asian carp eDNA has been detected, mesh screens on all sluice gates and temporary closures of the O'Brien and Chicago locks, except as needed for public health and safety.
Keep Up the Fight!
Thank you for all you have done to support our efforts to protect the Great Lakes from Asian carp. The fight is not yet over, and the more supporters we have on our side to build a public outcry, the better.
Keep in mind that President Obama can order the Army Corps to act on these commonsense steps any time. He doesn't need a court to tell him to do it. But until he acts, I pledge to fight, along with several Great Lakes attorneys general and our allies in Congress, to force the Corps to act.
Please forward this email to your friends, family and neighbors and urge them to call the President to demand action right away. Be sure to forward this email to at least five friends today!
If you haven't joined the conversation on Facebook, please sign on to our page today. Every day citizens are driving the conversation about why they love the Great Lakes and what they've done to protect them.
Sincerely,
Mike Cox
Attorney General
5 Great Lakes States Sue Feds Over Asian carp
Associated Press
July 19, 2010
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- Despite being rebuffed twice by the U.S. Supreme Court, five states filed suit Monday with a lower federal court demanding tougher federal and municipal action to prevent Asian carp from overrunning the Great Lakes and decimating their fishing industry.
Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota and Pennsylvania said in their complaint the situation had become more dire since a live bighead carp was found last month in a Chicago-area waterway only 6 miles from Lake Michigan -- well past an electric barrier designed to block the voracious fish's path.
"Asian carp will kill jobs and ruin our way of life," Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox said in a statement. "We cannot afford more bureaucratic delays -- every action must be taken to protect the Great Lakes."
The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in northern Illinois. It accuses the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago of creating a public nuisance by operating locks, gates and other infrastructure through which the carp could enter the lakes.
Read the full story.
Cox Files Suit Over Carp -- Again
Michigan Public Radio
Rick Pluta
Michigan and four other states are asking a federal judge in Illinois to shut down the Chicago shipping locks as an emergency measure to keep invasive Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes.
The U.S. Supreme Court has already refused -- twice - to shut down the locks. But Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox says the need for action has become more urgent since then. Last month a 20-pound Bighead carp was found in the canal beyond an electric barrier that was supposed to contain the fish.
"It's sort of like, where there's one cockroach, there's more cockroaches," he says. "There's no longer any speculation the carp can get beyond the locks. It's clear. The evidence is overwhelming that these carp are present, on their way to Lake Michigan, and impose an imminent danger, and potentially an irreparable danger to the Great Lakes region."
Cox's lawsuit asks a judge to shut down the canal and order the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to use nets and poison to contain the Asian carp until a permanent solution is developed.
Read the full story.
Invasive Asian Carp Harm Commercial Fishing Industry
Voice of America
July 19, 2010
The multi-billion-dollar commercial fishing industry in the Great Lakes region of the United States employs more than 800,000 people, but is threatened by the invasive Asian Carp - despite continued efforts to keep the fish out of the region's lakes.
Chad Isaak, who has fished the Illinois River for 27 years, says he saw his first Asian carp in 1996, and his life as a commercial fisherman has not been the same since.
"These Asian Carp are the plague," said Isaak. Isaak does not usually fish for the invasive Asian Carp, which have populated Illinois waterways to the point where they literally jump out of the water. He seeks catfish and buffalo fish, tastier and more marketable species found in lakes and rivers like the Illinois River. But more and more Asian Carp are edging out the populations of those native fish species, and keep finding their way into Isaak's nets.
"If you fish for catfish and buffalo, you may throw two to three thousand pounds of Asian Carp back to get the fish that you need," said Isaak. "And then the quality of the buffalo, they're getting thin and smaller in the rivers."
Read the full story.
Asian Carp netted beyond barrier
Chicago Sun Times
June 24, 2010
But the fish caught Tuesday by a commercial fisherman was the first evidence that Asian carp actually may have breached the barrier.
The discovery of the single fish likely will ramp up a tense dialogue between environmentalists, who want the manmade ship canal quickly and permanently shuttered, and the shipping industry, which claims closing the direct link between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River will drive up prices of commodities.
Michigan officials also have weighed in, suing Illinois to close the locks. The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to get involved, rejecting three times Michigan's appeal to shutter the canal.
"At this time, there is no intention to close the locks," said Mike White of the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Read the full story.
Visit StopAsianCarp.com and Sign Our Petition
Ohio has officially joined lawsuit number 2 aimed at keeping the Asian carp out of the Great Lakes.
Please see the news release from Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray.
DAVE
NEWS ADVISORY
July 19, 2010
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Ali Lehman: (614) 466-6242
cell: (614) 315-8429
Ted Hart: (614) 728-4127
cell: (614) 743-2286
Cordray: New Lawsuit Aims to Block Asian Carp from Great Lakes
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) In the continued fight to keep Asian Carp out of the Great Lakes, Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray today joined attorneys general from Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Pennsylvania in a lawsuit that seeks to construct a permanent physical barrier between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River basins.
"The threat of Asian Carp to the Great Lakes is imminent, and if not stopped, will have a devastating impact on the $10 billion fishing and tourism industries as well as the existing habitat," said Cordray. "Strategies to keep this species from entering the lakes have so far proven to be ineffective. Since a live carp was recently found within six miles of Lake Michigan, immediate action is now required."
The lawsuit alleges that the creation and continued operation of the Chicago Area Waterway System constitutes a public nuisance that threatens all of the Great Lakes, the natural resources within them and the public's rights to use and enjoy its waters. The lawsuit names the United States Army Corps of Engineers and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Chicago, which operate and control the system's facilities. The waterway system connects Illinois waters to Lake Michigan and, by extension, the rest of the Great Lakes.
"My fellow state attorneys general and I are trying to force the corps and the district to take action to address the Chicago waterway that we believe will allow the Asian Carp to spread into the Great Lakes. Otherwise, the consequences for this region could be dire," said Cordray.
"Last week, I joined Governor Strickland in asking the federal government to hold an emergency summit to address the need for a permanent barrier. Although we remain hopeful that a summit will be convened, the urgency of the situation compels us to file this litigation in the meantime."
Ohio Governor Ted Strickland added, "We appreciate that the White House has agreed to appoint a high-level point person who will lead the effort to find solutions to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes and to hold a summit with all states in the region. But we must continue to explore every available avenue to prevent this invasive species from harming the ecology and economy of the Great Lakes region."
To view a copy of the lawsuit filed today with the United States District Court of Illinois Northern District, go to www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/2010AsianCarpLawsuit.
http://www.chicagoreader.com/gyrobase/asian-carp-edna-test-lake-michigan-lindsay-chadderton/Content?oid=1572155&showFullText=true
http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/asian-carp-great-lakes-lawsuit-supreme-court/Content?oid=1572160
http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/asian-carp-cooking-chicago-chefs/Content?oid=1571974
Chef Hopes To Make Carp A Popular Dish
Michigan Seeks High Court Help On Asian Carp
Asian carp invasion: Prepare for the worst
http://www.freep.com/article/20091123/SPORTS10/91123023/1319/Asian-carp-invasion-Prepare-for-the-worst
Big Fish Winners 2009
Big Walleye
Jim Dacey (far right)
Caught 8/14/09
30.75 inches
16 inch girth
(Jim wins $25)
Big Perch
Ed Fliescher
Caught 11/09/09
12.375 inches
(Ed wins $25)
Ceck out the website for
Inside the Great Outdoors
http://www.insidethegreatoutdoors.com/homepage.html
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Click the link below to see pictures from the 2009 Walleye Central Get Together
http://www.walleyecentral.com/Get_Togethers/2009/Huron/index.htm
http://www.walleyecentral.com/Get_Togethers/2009/Huron2/