The removal of Carp by the June Sucker Recovery program will begin shortly, sometime in May. The plan is to remove 5,000,000 lbs of carp this year and then 5-7million per year over the next 5 years. There is concern about bycatch and how much damage to the sport fishes will occur.
Was down at the pond yesterday afternoon running the big rig. Saw a DWR boat heading out with hoop nets on board, I assume they were checking the river for either Junies or Walleye.
Let the games begin !!!
Good to hear that the “harvest” is nigh. I plan to do my part to add/subtract to the decimation of carpkind.
There is always a bycatch, but from what I have seen and heard, the non-carp are quickly released and have a low mortality rate.
They set those hoop nets all around the lake, sampling fish movements for all species. Last year at this time they had several set off the inlet of Benjamin Slough and a couple of other places around Lincoln Beach. They were just counting fish and throwing them back…even carp.
Attached is a picture of an airborne carp.
What were they thinking?
All I can think is “PULL”
My bow is ready and I’m biting at the bit for a good day.
this may seem like a dumb question by why is there so much dislike for carp.. and why does Utah allow a harvest like this?? [crazy]
MacFly
Here are a couple of links from the Utah Board that will provide a lot of backround info on the carp in Utah Lake.
UTAH LAKE WATER QUALITY REPORT
In many parts of the country, and even in some Utah waters, carp are “okay” and are even a valued part of the ecosystem. However, in Utah Lake, in Utah County, UT, they are a scourge.
They were planted back in the mid 1800’s as a potential food source for the starving Utah settlers. As the records show, it did not take long for the carp to take over the lake, and to displace the trout and many of the other species.
The once abundant cutthroat trout will likely never return. And, the June sucker, found (naturally) in Utah Lake and nowhere else, had dwindled to the point of near extinction. Again, largely because of the nature of carpkind.
Since the “Junies” are now on the federally protected and endangered species list, there has been a lot of federal money put into trying to restore them and increase their populations. But, it has been determined that one of the major blockages in the effort is the carp population…about 90% of the biomass in Utah Lake.
**We have had commercial carp seining operations on Utah Lake for generations…the same families going back many years. They have harvested lots of carp, selling them to big city markets where European and Asian populations relish them as food. They have had other outlets to fish farms and mink raising operations. **
Last year, a test was conducted on the carp to see if they were really safe for human consumption, and to expand the commercial operations in an effort to clean out even more carp. BIG WHOOPS. The carp were found to have unsafe levels of PCBs, a carcinogen left over from some of the industrial polluters who once dumped into Utah Lake. Now there is no commercial outlet.
So…the only option now is to use the “carp fund” money to simply conduct mass nettings of the carp and to dispose of them in landfills or dump them somewhere in the desert. Not sure what their disposal method will be.
That’s why all the joking among the Utah folks about Utah Lake carp. We all do our share to catch and croak all the carp we can…as our duty to the June sucker program…which most of us find laughable. A high percentage of the June sucker fry go directly into the food chain…catfish, walleyes, white bass and largemouths all love little Junies.
Got it?
thank you for the feedback.. I suspected it was the overpopulation but better to ask and be sure..
MacFly
Over supply is an understatement. The average size of the carp is under 5lbs now. There are so many that they are stunted themselves. The removal of the carp is a good thing, but the potential damage to other fisheries is a worry.
what is being done makes sense to me.. was just curious why.. I dont have a problem culling one species of fish for the best benefit of all other species..
MacFly
It is a necessary evil for sure. A couple of years back, all the carp were trying to come up the lower Provo. They were stacked on each other and the smell was terrible from carcass all over.
ya’ll got the carp and we got the quagga snails and ams… we can still fish the waters just not boat or tube them…[frown]
MacFly