For the millionth time, still another article has appeared going on and on about the Asian Carp.
I have pointed this out numerous times, all carp are Asian Carp. To be specific, it’s the Silver Carp that has become an issue with its ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound and a propensity to eat via filtration. Which I guess is not a good thing for tiny things.
So from now on, whenever I see still another article on Asian Carp, I am going to contact the writer to let them know what an idiot I think they are. Then I am going to contact everyone up the food chain from that writer that should have been fact checking the work to let them know that not only is they’re writer an idiot, but so are they for going along with this constant misuse of a term.
I’ll remind them all of a website called Google. If you do something so simple as, oh, I don’t know, type in Asian Carp into it’s sophisticated find feature, the VERY FIRST THING AT THE TOP OF A LIST of supposedly 1,090,000 results, is this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_carp
Pretty much explains everything in relatively simple terms that even an idiot writer could follow, if they chose to.
As for a solution to the SILVER CARP problem, get a boat. Figure out how to drag a net behind the boat that is in a semi-circular shape. The bottom of the net should go about 5 feet below the surface of the water. Another 3 feet of net should stick out above the surface of the water (I’m not an engineer, I have no clue how to make that work).
Troll along and let the fish jump into the net.
Gather them all up, process them and sell them all back to China and other Asian countries. I hear they can be good eating.
But remember, no more Asian Carp comments unless you’re talking about all of the carp species. Silver Carp, get it right.
It’s the little things in life that will drive you crazy.
bob long
9 Jun 2011what bothers me is the humanization of animals to give their natural behaviours human motivation.
These carp jump because something (the high pitched whine of motors) bothers them. They aren’t trying to kill anyone. they don’t know “anyone” is there. So, as the top species on the planet, perhaps one should not go through silver carp territory while in a boat running 40+ mph.
Just as the sign on the highway says “deer crossing” you’d better know to slow down and keep and good eye out, or you are liable to hit a deer.
Silver carp are here to stay – and although not ruinous, they do bring some changes – I suggest we get used to them.
And remember the old maxim, “One man’s financial ruin, is another man’s financial opportunity,.” or something akin to that.
Ken G
9 Jun 2011It always amazes me how people complain about wildlife. You’re in their world, not the other way around. Adjust accordingly.
I see jumping dollar bills. I need that net.
Barry A
9 Jun 2011I’ve been kayaking Wide Waters, the waters behind the Starved Rock dam, since 2003. The silver carp starting jumping when my kayak passed by in 2008. 2009 was worse. There is nothing worse than a 10+ pound slimy fish joining you in the cockpit of your kayak. This year hasn’t been as bad. Not my favorite carp!
Ken G
9 Jun 2011When I had my canoe shop on the Fox, now and then customers would come back telling stories about smallies jumping in the canoe.
Wish I could figure out a way to make that happen more often.
Fontinalis Rising
18 Jun 2011It could be that since the common carp have been here so long they’re considered natural citizens. Being that silver and bighead carp are new here they must not have gone through the naturalization process. Since Americans are so bad at delineating people of other nationalities, we’re certainly not going to do it for fish. Until these pesky Asians get naturalized and become actual citizens, they’ll continue to be called Asian carp, at least by the more troglodytic members of the press.
By the way, I’ve seen several pictures of these carp landed by fly anglers out west- they have them, and I don’t hear a whole lot of whining out of them.
Gretchen Steele
24 Jun 2011you are indeed correct and I am will admit to being guilty – I think in our case it’s simply a part of the local dialect – we have had the grassies and commons for so long that we tend to refer to only the big heads, silvers etc as the Asian carp. Now that you have pointed that out I will be hyper vigilant about how I phrase things when it comes to carp. Perhaps I should just refer to them by their individual species – i.e. silver, big head, common, grassy, etc. Since one of my home waters, the Kaskaskia River is infested with the Silvers I tend to spend a great deal of time out there with a bow taking out as many as I can.
Thanks for enlightening folks!
Ken G
24 Jun 2011I saw the pictures on Heartland Outdoors. Those were some big carp.
I know I’m being picky about this, but those that are not anglers will never know what we’re talking about if we don’t get it straight.
I’ve been eyeballing my day lilies ever since I read your article in the June issue. I’ve been mowing the things down as a nuisance. I didn’t know they were a menu item. Not mentioned in any of the books I have.