Asian Grass Carp breed in the Great Lakes

[Sergeant Bob]

Asian Grass Carp were found in the Sandusky River, which is a tributary of Lake Erie. Not as bad a the bighead carp or silver carp but, they can't be far behind as the all need similar conditions to breed. They are living in the Cal-Sag canal, which connects Chicago to the Mississippi River and are only kept from advancing into Lake Michigan by an electric barrier.
Reportedly, none have made it past the barrier (what if it fails due to power interruption or they just get past it somehow?) but if they do, they could decimate the native fish species and destroy the 7 Billion dollar a year Great Lakes fishing industry.

The Obama administration has spent nearly $200 million to shield the lakes, focusing primarily on an electrified barrier and other measures in Chicago-area waterways that offer a pathway from the carp-infested Mississippi River watershed to Lake Michigan. Critics say more is needed and are pressing to physically separate the two systems.

I believe $200 million could be better spent on sure solutions (which would cost considerably less to implement).
The powers that be refuse to physically close the Cal-Sag (there are locks which could be closed) because it would increase shipping costs to Chicago due to not having the ability to ship by barge from the Mississippi to Chicago. Could it be because (conspiracy theory?) Obama is taking care of his homies?

Asian Grass Carp breed in the Great Lakes


Edited for clarification and to add content

[drewtam]

Trying to keep the carp out is closing the barn door after the horse has left. It is inevitable that someday we will lose this battle. In the meantime, we need to figure out how to make money from the invasive carp (cheap fish filler? cat food? chinese food?) and use it to help the native fishing industry transition.

[Sergeant Bob]

Trying to keep the carp out is closing the barn door after the horse has left. It is inevitable that someday we will lose this battle. In the meantime, we need to figure out how to make money from the invasive carp (cheap fish filler? cat food? chinese food?) and use it to help the native fishing industry transition.

Maybe true, however, I hope not. A good deal of the revenue is from sport fishing and the Asian carp can't replace that. One of the species threatened is salmon, which is one of the major sources of sport fishing in the lakes.

[charby]

The Great Lakes have already been screwed up.

Historically the only game fish in the lakes should be Walleye, Sauger, Perch Walleye, Muskie, N Pike, Whitefish, Lake Trout, Brook Trout (Char), Smallmouth Bass and Artic Grayling.

The Salmon/Steelhead Rainbow were added to because of the death and decline of many of the species listed above.

[Tallpine]

The "Formerly Great Lakes"     

[Gewehr98]

Not just the fishing.

IIRC the Cuyahoga River emptying into Lake Erie caught fire once upon a time.

[Sergeant Bob]

Not just the fishing.

IIRC the Cuyahoga River emptying into Lake Erie caught fire once upon a time.

That's true (it caught fire a few times), though they have cleaned it up.

The Great Lakes have already been screwed up.

Historically the only game fish in the lakes should be Walleye, Sauger, Perch Walleye, Muskie, N Pike, Whitefish, Lake Trout, Brook Trout (Char), Smallmouth Bass and Artic Grayling.

The Salmon/Steelhead Rainbow were added to because of the death and decline of many of the species listed above.

Yet it is still a thriving fishery. If the carp take over, it won't be.
I don't see Asian carp being useful for anything other than fertilizer. In addition, there are a lot of rivers which are tributaries of the lakes and many of them are threatened as well, along with the smaller lakes which are a part of the watershed.

So far, the only Asian carp which have been found are grass carp (which, as the name implies, eat vegetation, and were brought in by idiots to reduce vegetation in their freaking ponds), which aren't themselves as dangerous to the indigenous species. The plankton eaters are the ones which will really damage the fishery.

I don't think it wise to just throw our hands up in the air and give up.

[charby]

Yet it is still a thriving fishery. If the carp take over, it won't be.
I don't see Asian carp being useful for anything other than fertilizer. In addition, there are a lot of rivers which are tributaries of the lakes and many of them are threatened as well, along with the smaller lakes which are a part of the watershed.

The fishery has been on the decline for many years. Most of the fish caught in the lakes were stocked from one of the numerous state fish hatcheries.

I don't think we need any Asian carp in the great lakes, but I don't think any amount of $$ you throw at it is going to help.

We already have Asian jumping carp in landlocked lakes here in Iowa, someone put them their either on purpose or accidently.

[Sergeant Bob]

The fishery has been on the decline for many years. Most of the fish caught in the lakes were stocked from one of the numerous state fish hatcheries.

I don't think we need any Asian carp in the great lakes, but I don't think any amount of $$ you through at it is going to help.

We already have Asian jumping carp in landlocked lakes here in Iowa, someone put them their either on purpose or accidently.

Unfortunately, you are probably correct. It's a case of "Wish in one hand..."

[GigaBuist]

I don't see Asian carp being useful for anything other than fertilizer. In addition, there are a lot of rivers which are tributaries of the lakes and many of them are threatened as well, along with the smaller lakes which are a part of the watershed.

So far, the only Asian carp which have been found are grass carp (which, as the name implies, eat vegetation, and were brought in by idiots to reduce vegetation in their freaking ponds), which aren't themselves as dangerous to the indigenous species. The plankton eaters are the ones which will really damage the fishery.

Huh.  I was under the impression that the asian carp threatening Lake Michigan were the plankton kind, and got out into the wild after farms in Illinois experienced flooding and the critters got out.  Said fisheries were farming them for sale to Israel as it is a delicacy there.

Supposedly they taste like a blend of crab and scallops.  Sounds good to me; at least a lot better than northern pike.

[Ryan in Maine]

Why don't we eat them to death? 

[Sergeant Bob]

Huh.  I was under the impression that the asian carp threatening Lake Michigan were the plankton kind, and got out into the wild after farms in Illinois experienced flooding and the critters got out.  Said fisheries were farming them for sale to Israel as it is a delicacy there.

Supposedly they taste like a blend of crab and scallops.  Sounds good to me; at least a lot better than northern pike.

The plankton eaters (silver and bighead) have reportedly not been found in the Great Lakes, just grass carp, although there is a danger of them getting into the lakes. As far as them being good to eat, I don't really know. I assumed they were similar to native carp, of which I do not know anyone who likes them, though I reasonably sure most haven't actually tried it. I have eaten carp, but smoked only and it was pretty good, though smoking can make a lot of meats taste good.
Even if they are good to eat, my understanding is that they breed so fast that they overwhelm the native species of fish, and since they are plankton eaters they would not be much good for sport fishing.

I found an article about eating bighead and silver carp. Apparently, they are pretty good, though with their breeding rates and most people's aversion to anything named "carp", it might be difficult to "eat them to death.

Here's part of the article:

I’ve only had the opportunity to try carp on a few occasions, but each time it was in a different, nondescript dive bar perched just a few steps away from some sort of muddy river or creek. Though the provenance of the fried fillets filling the paper-lined basket was never stated, the implication was the fish hadn’t journeyed far from water to Fry-o-lator.

Why eat carp at such a place? Well mostly because that’s generally where carp is served. With few exceptions, Joe Tess Place in Omaha being perhaps the most famous, your typical urban restaurant doesn’t feature carp on the menu. That’s too bad really, because when I have eaten carp, it was pretty good. The white flesh was firm and mildly flavorful without any hint of muddiness that most people (who likely got their information second-hand) claim carp taste like. I suppose you could get fancy with the fillets, but why would you when battered carp with a side of fries makes for excellent bar food.

You don’t have to frequent dive bars like I do to try carp. As you well know, there are plenty of them swimming the country’s waterways, including the millions of Asian carp making their way up the major river systems in the Midwest. Next time you catch one, I encourage you to try eating it. You may be surprised to find out they’re not only edible, but also delicious.

http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/wild-chef/2013/03/how-fillet-asian-carp

I would give it a try if it came my way.

[charby]

I've eaten the jumping kind of carp, both fried and pickled. It wasn't bad, its no walleye or crappie, but it agreed with my tastes.

[Grebnaws]

I snagged an Asian carp at the spillway and decided to throw it in the basket. There were many jeers from the people fishing around me. Everyone said it was no good to eat but they also hadn't tried it themselves. My fish was smaller (3-4 pounds) than the fish in the video and I found impossible to clean. It tasted fine fried up in my usual dredge and I would have no trouble trying it again. It reminded me of Buffalo, but I only had that once and it also had a lot of bones.

[Harold Tuttle]

call it imitation crab and fire up the breader

[drewtam]

Unfortunately the Illinois river is so nasty, I wouldn't eat anything out of it.

[Harold Tuttle]

you would not want to see where chinese tilapia are raised

[makattak]

Unfortunately the Illinois river is so nasty, I wouldn't eat anything out of it.

Having grown up on the Illinois river, I can state that I have had no ill effects from eating fish from it.

However, my second head disagrees with me.

[BobR]

I snagged an Asian carp at the spillway and decided to throw it in the basket. There were many jeers from the people fishing around me. Everyone said it was no good to eat but they also hadn't tried it themselves.

I had a neighbor like that in San Diego. I caught a 6lb carp in the Colorado River one weekend and decided to feed my neighbor. I cleaned it, baked it, and served it whole on a platter surrounded by fresh parsley and lemon. It was a thing of beauty. I prescribe to the theory that no matter what it is, you dress it up pretty enough and there will be people who like it.

After we cleaned off the tray, he mentioned how tasty it was and wanted to know what it was. I told him carp, and he was very surprised, and never bad mouthed the regal carp again.

bob

[Balog]

Isn't the main problem with carp that they are so full of tiny bones it's very difficult to clean them?

[BobR]

Isn't the main problem with carp that they are so full of tiny bones it's very difficult to clean them?

Yes, and no. They have a lot of bones, but many of them are connected. If you are careful, you can eat around them. The best method is to catch a few and learn how to fillet the guys, no bones and surprisingly tasty fish once breaded and fried.

bob

[Bigjake]

Maybe we get lucky with the Grass Carp.  They foretold gloom and doom over the Round Goby, and it just ended up being tasty to most of Lake Erie's native species.

[vaskidmark]

Take a tip from the Jewinites - gifilte fish.

Catch a carp.  Boil it.  Cut it out of it's skin (unless you are my Aunt Lois who can't be bothered and says the crunch parts are the best) and grind it with onions and dill and whatever else you want.  Form into individual serving shapes, loafs, logs or even Jell-O salads.  Serve with whatever floats your boat as a condiment.

(Seriously, the best part is the "jelly" that is formed from the broth.  Put it on a Ritz cracker with chopped egg.)

They are trying to do the same thing with lionfish and dogfish sharks - turn them from invasive/junk species into food item.

stay safe.

[roo_ster]

Given how it tastes, I always figured gifilte fish was a sign of God's wrath.

[Gewehr98]

Or lutefisk.