Tag Archives: Illinois Department of Natural Resources
“The Perfect Catch” campaign: Asian carp is getting a new name and a public makeover
Illinois officials and their partners want to give the invasive Asian carp threatening the Great Lakes a similar makeover. The goal: To grow the fish’s image as a healthy, delicious, organic, sustainable food source which will in turn, get more fishermen removing more tons of the fish from Illinois rivers just outside of Lake Michigan. Markets such as pet food, bait and fertilizer have expanded the use of invasive Asian carp in recent years. But “it’s been hard to get the human consumption part of this because of the four-letter word: carp,” A full-on media blitz is coming later this year to change that. >click to read< 09:51
Luciano: Could Asian carp help a desperate Maine lobster market?
Officials in Illinois and Maine hope to soon announce a breakthrough that in both states could help solve aquatic challenges and boost economics. The news could especially bring a boon to central Illinois. In Illinois, invasive Asian carp choke the Illinois River. In Maine, the lobster industry faces a crisis for a sudden lack of lobster bait. If all goes well, commercial fishers in Illinois soon could be harvesting and shipping tons of Asian carp to Maine. >click to read<
‘Carp cowboys’ round up invasive Asian carp as Illinois, federal officials debate costly measures to protect Lake Michigan
In Illinois, current strategies have successfully reduced the leading edge of the Asian carp population by 93 percent since 2012, according to sonar scans. By removing more than 1 million pounds of carp annually in the past several years, the state has contained the adult population to the Dresden Island Pool, 47 miles away from Lake Michigan, near Minooka, Ill. But computer modeling suggests it’s not enough. To repel Asian carp, about four times that amount needs to be removed from downstream.,, On Tuesday, near the banks of Sheehan Island where Asian carp like to take refuge, state-contracted fisherman Shawn Price gunned the engine of his boat while his father hit a wooden stick on the side. Minutes later, Shawn Price began pulling in nets chock-full of Asian carp. >click to read<09:01
Front line in Asian carp battle upstream from Starved Rock – “The commercial guys, they’re a wonderful asset,”
The battle line stretches along 40 miles of the Illinois River, from the Starved Rock Lock and Dam upstream past Morris to within 10 miles of an electric carp barrier. This is the front in the state’s fight against Asian car
p. Over 2½ years the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and state-contracted commercial fishermen have removed more than 500 tons of bighead and silver Asian carp from the Illinois River. In 68 days last fall, the DNR and fishermen netted and removed 248 tons, according to the DNR. Read More
