Apr 20

Written by:
4/20/2011 4:18 PM 

Mr. Perry,
 
Over the last two years I too have witnessed exponential growth of the Asian carp population. While at first most observations where at the northern end of the lakes, in the last year I have seen unbearable numbers of carp from Kentucky dam to the I-40 bridge and sadly the Cumberland system is unbelievably worse, with a few catches even occurring on Old Hickory lake. The spawn issue is what has re-sparked my Asian carp interest and the reason I emailed Mr. McCadams. I believe to this point that there have been two major Asian carp spawns on Barkley this spring. My reasoning is two-fold. First, last week an approximately 12 inch Asian jumped in the boat and is frozen at the fish market, this fish was probably hatched in early March. Secondly, while on the water last Saturday I saw large schools of what I thought were shad surfacing, like the yellow-tail shad do in the fall. Upon further investigation and catching a weak one and knowing there haven't been any spawns at this time, we found it was large schools of 2-3 inch Asian carp, looking very similar to a small shad but having blue tinted backs. My conjecture is TWRA's evaluation of the crappie spawn fails to produce small Asian carp, one because it is somewhat behind the Asian carp spawn, and secondly because their growth rate is so rapid that they quickly become too large to enter the mesh trap, leaving only a few days for them to be caught. The issue is worse than most realize, and it seems the issue is burdened by a sense of denial by those who can hypothesize a solution. Ultimately, there needs to be a collaborative effort to at least minimize their impact on our eco system. I sent a similar email to Mr. Larry Martin today who Mr. McCadams had also copied on my email, and while I went into more detail, I virtually said the same thing. While Asian carp populations are denser on other tributaries, the recreational economics our rivers have on the surrounding area is far greater, hence we have far more to lose.
 
Stop by the fish market and talk with my dad, he could offer substantially more! Or give him a call: Cell (931)627-1046 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            (931)627-1046      end_of_the_skype_highlighting or Market (731)642-2369 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            (731)642-2369      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.
 
Best,
Ben


Dear Mr. Cayce,
 
Thank you for taking so much time with me on the phone just now, I hope you still have some minutes left on your cell phone!  You are clearly a gold mine of information and I am sure I found the best person to inform me about the state of the fishery in Kentucky.  I appreciate your putting me in touch with some good people who can share their knowledge and experience with the KY fishery and the threat of Asian carp.  I appreciate the contacts you gave me, and will follow up.  If you could do me the courtesy of calling Cletis Hooks this evening and encourage him to give me a few minutes of his time, I would greatly appreciate it.  He sounds like a treasure and I don’t want to miss the opportunity to learn from him, and possibly even interview him for this video if he is willing.  If you would be kind enough to forward the string of emails you have received lately between people like  Daryl Van Vector, Steve McAdams, Jim Perry and others, I would be grateful. This way I can be as informed as possible before calling some of these gentlemen with questions. 
 
Thank you again for your kind assistance.  It was a pleasure speaking with you, and when we know more about our filming schedule and other news regarding the video, I will certainly let you know.
 
Sincerely,
Trilby
 
Trilby Becker
Water Policy Coordinator
National Wildlife Federation
213 West Liberty, Suite 200
Ann Arbor, MI 48104-1398
(734) 887-7108 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            (734) 887-7108      end_of_the_skype_highlighting
beckert@nwf.org