Kentucky Seeks to Keep Asian Carp In Check

By Dac Collins

In its first annual report to Congress on invasive Asian carp, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in February that the aggressive fish are spawning in the Ohio River at Louisville, and have been detected as far upriver as Huntington, W.Va.

Asian carp disrupt the ecological balance of lakes and rivers by outcompeting native fish species for food and habitat. They have spread throughout the Mississippi River watershed into over twenty states since they were first introduced in the 1970’s.

Ron Brooks of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources told The Courier-Journal that the spread of the voracious species is “definitely one of the most important problems we are going to have to deal with for a while.”

Kentucky is stepping up its commercial fishing efforts and currently removing approximately 40 tons of Asian carp every week from the Ohio River.