Lake Puckaway: Carp Be-gone

Carp and other "rough fish" being taken from the holding
pen for transport to market.

Carp cause all sorts of trouble by uprooting aquatic plants. The loss of plants means the loss of shelter and food for fish and wildlife. It also means the loss of ecosystem functions plants provide by holding and filtering out sediments and nutrients. Carp also stir up plenty of sediments in their search for food and spawning activities. Carp certainly are not the only cause and perhaps not the major cause of the lakes troubles. Most of the lakes sources of trouble come from the landscape, nutrients and sediment come off of farm fields, construction sites and peoples lawns. Dealing with hundreds of these sites takes decades, and success ten miles upstream will benefit Lake Puckaway, but it is still hard to see. What is easy to see are 250,000 pounds of carp and other "rough fish" leaving the lake in the back of a two eighteen-wheelers. The fisherman project they will be able to take 400,000 lbs of fish from the lake this year. Will it be enough to help restore Lake Puckaway and reduce turbidity? Not likely in one year, but it is a good start.

People who fish the lake are understandably concerned about the safety of game fish during these operations Anytime someone catches a fish whether it be hook and line, or in a net they will stress fish, and some percentage will die. The day I had came to take these pictures, the game fish had been released, but there were no signs on the shore of any trouble. I did see one dead yellow bass in the holding pen. The cold weather no doubt helps keep stress levels down for the fish.
Click below for more photos.