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That is a LOT of carp! I wonder how much of a dent it would really put in the carp population. Any Marine Biologists in the forum?
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I wonder how many walleye`s and catfish are getting killed? Fishon
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I was kind of wondering the same thing. You know they are killing more then CARP. But it looks like the majority of the fish are CARP.
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They are required to release all game fish. They are not gill netting, but using more of a coral type method.
It is supposed to reduce mortality rates.
You can see where a couple of whities are gilled in the nets though. I don't think that a few hundred/thousand of those casualties are going to hurt their population.
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Few, if any.
They are not using gill nets, the fish are netted live and any gamefish an be released unharmed. They have to do it this way, because if they used a gill net and killed a June Sucker that would be a violation of federal law.
These guys are good at what they do.
I think TD went out and watched them last year.
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Didn't someone say something about there being an acceptable amount of bullheads and whities that could be took?
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[quote JLW]I wonder how many walleye`s and catfish are getting killed? Fishon[/quote]
[cool][#0000ff]I have witnessed several "seining parties"...both open water and through the ice. As might be expected there is "bycatch"...of other species. But with the exception of white bass virtually all non-carp species are handled gently and released mostly unharmed. Definitely not a huge number of any other species taken on most pulls and most of them survive. The DWR biologists often tag along on those pulls and separate out, measure and weigh some of the other species to get a more accurate reading on non-carp nettings.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I did a pictorial report on the ice seining operation two winters ago. [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=559003;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;page=unread#unread"]LINK TO REPORT[/url][/#0000ff]
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The idea is to reduce the carp population to the point that reproduction cannot keep up with mortality. It is called a "tipping point". This is a phenomenon that was identified with several species in the ocean and has been documented to work with all fish species.
One of the Biologists from Utah State that consults with the June Sucker Recovery Program did the math and postulated that removing 5 million pounds of carp a year for 8 years ( or was it 8 million pounds over 5 years????) would put the carp at a tipping point so that the remaining carp would not be able to maintain the population. The project has been going now for two years and the Loy's have been hitting their targets both years. What will be interesting, will be as they reduce the population, will they be able to hit that target down the road.
Another problem is going to be what to do with them all as they are removed !! To date they have been dumping them on a farmer's field ( and the eagles have been getting their share also ) but that may come to an end as those fields get over fertilized. They are still looking for a way to process them into a usable product, but have not found one to date. Fish meal fertilizer seems to be the best bet, but no one has the bucks to set up a plant to process them.
I would expect that over the next few years, as they continue to reduce the population, we will see several things. 1) Fewer carp seen schooling up, rolling in the shallows, maybe even an increase in the water clarity. 2) Bigger average size as competition for food is lessened due to fewer numbers. 3) Bigger game fish as the biomass in the lake is reduced, more food for everyone. 4). It will also be harder for them to hit their target catch as the population is reduced. Those last few hundred thousand pounds will be difficult to catch !!
It will be interesting to see the process go forward. Now all we have to do is get them to change their minds about the last 1.5 miles of the Provo River !!!!
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The one picture of that nice cat fish flying through the air like a foot ball being released is probably not as gentle release as a sportsman would release him but they are a pretty tough fish. I wonder how many state record game fish they see while they are sorting. That would be interesting to know. It looks like alot of work. That is going to be some fishery some day. Fishon
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[quote JLW] . . . That is going to be some fishery some day. [/quote]
From the reports I hear - it already is! I'd love to sit there with a bucket and 'share' some of them 'other' fishes! Teehee.
Lunker - you did it - you found a way I could make a living fishing. Are they hiring? I could actually boast that I was up to my waist in fish EVERY DAY!
OR - all we gotta do is go setup a processing/smoke house. Fillet 'em, bit of brine, put 'em in the smoke building. Wonder if we could get a government grant for that?
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Hey CoyoteSpinner, They do this same thing in Minnesota and i think that either the state or government help support it. There is a market for carp but I am not sure what it is up there. It seems like it was dog and cat food. There is a steady supply up there though that justifies a plant being built. Fishon
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[cool][#0000ff]Several decades ago the Loy carp operation probably took more carp out of Utah Lake every year than they do now under contract. They supplied some of the ethnic food markets in Chicago and Los Angeles. They also sold a bunch to fur breeders...specifically mink farms.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Attaching a picture of how "gently" DWR releases carp from their survey nettings.[/#0000ff]
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Thats a good picture of a gentle release. The only thing tougher then a catfish is a carp. It is too bad game fish aren`t as hearty as carp. Fishon
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[quote JLW]Thats a good picture of a gentle release. The only thing tougher then a catfish is a carp. It is too bad game fish aren`t as hearty as carp. Fishon[/quote]
[cool][#0000ff]You got that right. Let's see. Trout are considered to be game fish...by many. They are the wimpiest of all species. High mortality even when handled properly and gently released.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Then there are pike and muskies. You'd think those big tough toothy guys could withstand anything. Nay, not so. Pretty tender and unable to tolerate rough handling or being out of water very long. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Catfish are gang-bangers and can withstand pretty brutal treatment. I have caught them with stringers hanging out their mouths and have seen them come back to life after being dried out on the bank or in the bottom of a boat for several hours.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Here's a picture of a channel cat I caught with a rope stringer trailing out it's mouth. It was a bit thin from reduced feeding but it hit a jig and fought hard. I removed the stringer and sent him back down to fatten up.[/#0000ff]
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[inline "HOUDINI WITH STRINGER.jpg"]
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