Carp invasion: Boaters beware
By KIT DOYLE
July 1, 2005 | 12:00 a.m. CST
With the Missouri River running high enough for boaters to venture a little ways up Bonne Femme Creek, Steve Mellis and several friends in two motorboats made their way through woody debris and downed trees last weekend in search of some shade to escape the insufferable heat.
Mellis had seen silver carp break the surface of the Missouri River and its tributaries in the past, typically in response to the sounds of boat motors. But this experience was more dramatic — and potentially dangerous — than previous displays.
“I know we saw over 100,” Mellis said, referring to the aerial spectacle he encountered on the lower reaches of the Bonne Femme Creek.
The propensity of silver carp to propel themselves from the water is greater during summer months because of high temperatures that make them more active. Mellis, an experienced boater who works with Missouri River Relief, said he saw up to 10 fish in the air at the same time. After a while, Mellis’ party turned back because so many carp kept on jumping.
“They were anywhere from 18 inches up to 3 feet long,” Mellis said.
Duane Chapman of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Columbia Environmental Research Center on New Haven Road said that silver carp and its non-jumping relative, the bighead carp, are invasive species from Asia that are prevalent from the lower Missouri River to Gavins Point Dam in South Dakota. Silver carp became common in this area about five years ago.
Asian carp were brought to the United States 30 years ago to control water quality in private aquaculture facilities and escaped from fish farms in the 1980s and 1990s.
Although he’s not certain, Chapman believes that Asian carp have become the most abundant large fish in the lower Missouri River. Catch rates in the Mississippi River indicate the populations of Asian carp are increasing exponentially, Chapman said, and the same trend is occurring on the Missouri River.
Silver carp and their airborne antics pose an increasing danger to boaters and recreational users of the river. Silver carp normally range from 10 to 20 pounds, Chapman said, which is “plenty big enough to put the hurt on you.”
Being struck by a carp this size while traveling near 20 mph can be devastating. There have been instances of boaters knocked overboard. Breeding tubercles on the fins of males can cause abrasions and, potentially, cuts.
The Geological Survey lost a $500 satellite phone that was in a container “specifically built to guard against carp attack,” when the carp dislodged the entire container and sent it overboard, Chapman said. Chapman also warned boaters to protect radios, fish finders, fairings and fishing rods in consoles.
Jumping carp have landed on the throttle, causing boats to drastically change speeds, once sending a USGS boat up a muddy bank.
Only one carp landed in a boat when Mellis was on the Bonne Femme, but he said they were repeatedly hitting the boats.
Both silver and bighead carp live in low-velocity water and are seldom found in strong current except while spawning in high water. They tend to congregate in creeks and slower moving tributaries.
Chapman cautions that carp generally jump behind boats, so water skiing and following boats can be risky.
In addition to putting boaters at risk, Asian carp can also disrupt the natural ecology. They are in competition with other fish that feed on plankton and algae, such as the paddlefish.
Fears that Asian carp will accidentally be transported around dams and natural boundaries by “bait-bucket transfer” and other means has led to political action. U.S. Rep. Mark Green of Wisconsin introduced the “Asian Carp Prevention and Control Act” to add four Asian carp species to the Lacey Act, which prohibits importation or transportation.
In the meantime, Chapman continues to learn more about the carp already in Missouri waterways. Research includes impacts of eating habits, trapping populations in spawning migrations and potential markets to distribute the invasive species.
Although they’re relative newcomers to the area, Asian carp are here for the long haul, regardless of how much is learned about their erratic antics. “I’ve been running the rivers of Missouri my entire life,” Mellis said, “and it just doesn’t seem right to me.”
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