Officials from the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife released a “shocking” video earlier this week to illustrate just how bad the Asian Carp problem is in the state.
Check out the video as officials literally release electricity into the water to stun hundreds of the invasive carp species:
Stunned carp jump out of the water during a demonstration of electrofishing by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife pic.twitter.com/6nKxnBWlmc
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) August 2, 2019
The carp were collected, harvested and sold to buyers who make fertilizer, fish bait and food products for humans.
Here’s an explanation from CNN of why the invasive Asian carp is a problem in Kentucky:
Don’t feel too bad. Asian carp are an invasive fish that were introduced to the United States by catfish farmers in the ’70s.
They’ve inundated waterways along the Mississippi watershed and the Illinois and Missouri rivers. Carp populations grow at a rapid rate, and all their eating reduces the amount of food for other fish in the ecosystem.
“They were allowed to bring Asian and silver carp in to take care of algal blooms, and they used the fish and sold them to the ethnic markets, like Chinese markets,” Brooks said. The four species of carp hail from Asia, averaging 8 to 10 pounds, but they vary in size, he added.
“What they didn’t realize is that these things would escape the ponds and get into the river system quickly. It took 30 years for them to get there,” Brooks said. “They were brought here for a good reason, but the folks who brought them had no idea that it would cause such a terrible problem.”
Carp are sensitive to noise, so when a boat motor disturbs the water, the fish leap out of the water. Silver carp can jump up to 10 feet high.
The big fish are famous for damaging fishing boats, breaking equipment on board and even injuring boaters.
“They’re the ones you hear about jumping up and hitting people and even breaking bones sometimes,” Brooks said. “They spew blood and mucus as a stress response. If they land in your boat, they’ll be flopping around, and they’ll get slime around.”
Here’s some footage of the carp getting revenge:
