Will fish populations be threatened?

A bug-eyed alien from China has invaded the Great Lakes and could threaten the world's largest freshwater fishery. This unwelcome immigrant is the bighead carp, a voracious fish with eyes on its underside, which was recently discovered off Pelee Island near Wheatley, Ontario, Canada.

According to Great Lakes United, a Buffalo-based environmental watchdog group dedicated to monitoring the health of the Great Lakes, this fish, commonly grown for human consumption in eastern China, could potentially "decimate the native species" in Great Lakes waters.

The bighead carp is a bottom filter feeder which can grow to be 30-40 pounds, and has an extremely high reproduction rate. Ecologists worry that if bighead carp populations are established in the Great Lakes, they could displace other fish like the alewives who serve as a vital link in the food chain for the lake's larger fish such as salmon, steelhead and brown trout.

So far, bighead carp have been netted only in Lake Erie, but scientists worry that, once established, they could become as destructive to the ecology of the other Great Lakes as the more notorious zebra mussel and sea lamprey.
The bighead was first imported from China to Arkansas in 1972 for use in commercial pond production. Scientists suspect it spread into the wild by swimming up the Mississippi to the Great Lakes via connecting canals near Chicago.

Unknown is whether the bighead can survive the cold winters of the Great Lakes area. Those investigating the invasion suspect they may be wintering near outflows of warm water from power plants and other American shoreline discharges.

Jerry Senecal, Orleans County Tourism and Parks director, has expressed enthusiasm and optimism for developing tourist interest in carp fishing in western New York. He says English anglers, among others, are avid carp sport-fishermen -- a species perhaps more prized abroad. It is not known how the invasive bighead carp will impact the existing ecology and number of other species in the lakes.

Most fishermen in America treat native carp as a trash fish. But in Europe, Asia and in American communities with heavy Asian and Eastern European immigrant populations, carp is prized for ethnic dishes. Gefilte Fish, a traditional Jewish holiday dish, calls for ground carp along with other whitefish. Chinese cuisine favors for carp in several festive dishes.

Carp first arrived in North America in 1877 America, thanks to President Grant. Faced with a dwindling supply of native food fish, due to over-fishing by a growing population, Grant appointed a commission which selected the carp to be imported in order to supplement the diminished fishery.

Senegal and his sport fishing enthusiasts are probably right about the ultimate appeal of fishing for carp. It's not uncommon for anglers to hook 30 or 40 lb. carp. The record is over 80 lbs. And, despite its reputation as a stupid, slow moving bottom dweller, sport fishermen are often surprised by the action when they hook a good-sized carp. Angling writer Arthur Ransome perfectly described the experience: " … striking into a carp is like being dragged out of bed by a grapple towed by an aircraft. The salmon may give a faster fight, but no fish can compare with the dour, stubborn, raw power that a carp has.