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I recently attended a neighborhood discussion on bowfishing. The presenter is a big fan of the sport, and certainly has far more experience participating than me, a guy who has never hit a fish with an arrow. I am hoping to be a little more successful this year.
One of the things he said was that when you shoot a fish, you should leave the carcass on the bank, not place it back in the water, where it will pollute the waterway.
I didn't contradict him as he was the subject matter expert, but today I wish I had. Leaving the fish on the bank is the one thing I believe to be the least desirable disposal of a dead carp. Nobody wants to find that mess when they go out to fish, and I believe that waterborne creatures are better equipped to deal with a big dead fish than most land based organisms. I was curious enough to review the proclamation, which states:
In 2013, the Utah Legislature passed a new law that allows anglers to dispose of carp and a few other species—particularly species under catch-and-kill orders at certain waterbodies—without violating the state’s wasting statute.
...
After catching any of the above fish, you may consume them or dispose of them at one of the following locations:
•In the water where the fish was caught
•A fish-cleaning station
•The angler’s permanent residence
•Another location where disposal is
authorized by law
Good luck to anybody trying to shoot carp this year, and please dispose of them responsibly rather than leaving them to rot on the bank.
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I would just say to go the extra mile and either use it as bait or to take it to a garbage can
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In my opinion putting them back in the water keeps the life cycle nutrients in the right place. I have walked up on a shore where over a 100 carp were placed one. ( my son was a guilty party). That was foul. If you do leave the fish behind in the water you open the belly and make sure the air sack is brocken so they don't become floaters along the same shore. Just one persons opinion.
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I for one agree with your opinion, and Gaardvark's.
All the responsible bow-anglers I know follow the same "pop it, and drop it" release approach. Dead fish on the banks are nasty, smelly, dogs will roll in them (please NO!!!) farmers don't like it. Voles sure do, but they'll get by.
I would dearly LOVE to watch underwater video of carp disposal once a gutted one is found by the scavengers.
I can only imagine.
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I bet crawdads have a secret notification system just like the walleye snaggers at Willard do.
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[#0000FF]I always perform a complimentary gillectomy and pre-mortem autopsy...before releasing unharmed. Cause of death...autopsy.
To reinforce what others have advised...NEVER leave dead fish on the bank. But, as per the new clarified regulations, it is OKAY to drop dead carp back into the lake after deflating the air bladder.
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I am far from an expert, but i have shot my share of carp. I generally try to take a length of 3/8" rope and use it just like a big fish stringer to take my kill back to the dumpster. Not sure if its the best thing to do but at least it doesn't offend others and give bowfishers a bad rap....
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[quote Stickleback]In my opinion putting them back in the water keeps the life cycle nutrients in the right place. I have walked up on a shore where over a 100 carp were placed one. ( my son was a guilty party). That was foul. If you do leave the fish behind in the water you open the belly and make sure the air sack is brocken so they don't become floaters along the same shore. Just one persons opinion.[/quote]
This is the best advice, and the most scientifically sound. There was a river in Washington State where the citizens cleaned up all of the dead Salmon after the spawn. They thought the dead fish were disgusting.
They got fined by the EPA and the city had to dig them out of the landfill and replace them in the river. Seems the next generation of fish and existing organisms needed the nutrients.
Carp consume massive amounts of nutrients from the system and taking them out completely is not the best idea, even though the state has no choice while trying to reduce the overall population in Utah Lake. Good thing Utah Lake is nutrient loaded.
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I don't think people would appreciate them rotting in a dumpster or in a garbage can. The stench of rotting fish is vile.
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Where was this meeting and who was the presenter?
[quote gaardvark]I recently attended a neighborhood discussion on bowfishing. The presenter is a big fan of the sport, and certainly has far more experience participating than me, a guy who has never hit a fish with an arrow. I am hoping to be a little more successful this year.
One of the things he said was that when you shoot a fish, you should leave the carcass on the bank, not place it back in the water, where it will pollute the waterway.
I didn't contradict him as he was the subject matter expert, but today I wish I had. Leaving the fish on the bank is the one thing I believe to be the least desirable disposal of a dead carp. Nobody wants to find that mess when they go out to fish, and I believe that waterborne creatures are better equipped to deal with a big dead fish than most land based organisms. I was curious enough to review the proclamation, which states:
In 2013, the Utah Legislature passed a new law that allows anglers to dispose of carp and a few other species—particularly species under catch-and-kill orders at certain waterbodies—without violating the state’s wasting statute.
...
After catching any of the above fish, you may consume them or dispose of them at one of the following locations:
•In the water where the fish was caught
•A fish-cleaning station
•The angler’s permanent residence
•Another location where disposal is
authorized by law
Good luck to anybody trying to shoot carp this year, and please dispose of them responsibly rather than leaving them to rot on the bank.[/quote]
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Myself, I take them home and use them for fertilizer in my garden. Got one earlier this year, cut it into several peaces and froze it. As soon as I plant my garden, I'll use it to help my garden grow better[  ].
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A couple of thoughts perhaps. First, Salmon returning from the ocean bring back minerals and nutrients not found in sterile streams. This is much different from releasing a dead carp back into the water way. They do not contain these nutrients.
Secondly, anything rotting in a water biomass that holds carp, probably already short on oxygen levels will tend to further deplete the oxygen in the water and between the bacterial dispersion and the oxygen loss, could result in the die off of other fresh water species.
Third and probably most important for bowfishermen is the public perception of the sport. Leaving rotted wasting fish that wash onto the shoreline is just bad press for a sport that really doesn't need any. Do you want your kids swimming in rotting carcasses, probably not and even worse when they wash up on the banks.
Please do the sport and your other lake using sportsmen and women a favor and remove the carcasses. We really don't need to make a bigger case for the already vocal anti-hunting crowd or even send other sportsmen to side against the bowfishermen.
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It was a neighbor who is an enthusiast of the sport. I don't wish to call anybody out by name. The gathering was just a group of kids who come together once a month to learn some outdoor skills. It's not BSA or anything formal, but it is a lot of fun.
I'll be sure to explain next month that leaving them on the bank is definitely NOT the thing to do.
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I understand your concerns, but rotting carp will not deplete UL of oxygen. The frequent winds and the shallow lake create more then sufficient oxygen and the existence of the carp eating and destroying vegetation and muddying the water destroy more oxygen creation then anything else.
Nevertheless, your point about swimming with the dead carp is well taken.
I don't shoot carp very often but when I do I usually drag the carp into deep water (none in UL so that is out). If no deep water, I usually drag them farther off shore. I slit the body cavity, pop the air bag, then let them "swim" to the bottom. I still contend that this is the best way, and yes I normally shoot from a boat so this works well. If you took the carp a quarter mile or more off shore, or at least a quarter mile from a "beach" then you will have no issues. Do me a favor, send me the GPS locations of your dump spot along the beach so I can fish it later for Kittys and win the big fish contest. LOL Is it chumming if you do it for me????[cool]
I think we agree on responsibly taking care to protect the sport and the public impression, I just think we need to discuss options more.
1) Public dumpsters - never.
2) Fish cleaning stations - probably work if they don't plug.
3) Garden - If the dogs and cats don't dig it up, you will get an awesome garden.
4) Along the bank - never.
5) In the water - depending on conditions, yes.
6)
7)
I have left open spots for other ideas. I often take fish remains from my game fish and freeze them in my freezer, then put them in my curb trash the day they are hauled off. Stops the smell until they are already in the landfill. Still, I can't say that would work if I have 10 each 5 to 10 pound carp to dispose of. ROFLOL
Let's keep it constructive and figure this out. There will be no ONE SOLUTION that works in all cases.
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