Originally introduced in the early 1970’s by southerners to control algae blooms in catfish farms, bighead asian carp were washed into the Mississippi River after major flooding in the region starting in the 1980’s. These ravenous fish have fought their way upstream ever since, causing much concern to a plethora of ecosystems along the way.  

The bigheads, on average, weigh between 20 and 30 lbs, but can reach upwards of 80lbs!  They reproduce rapidly as well, with the females being able to carry over 2 million larvae at a time. They are known to consume over 40% of their body wieght in food every day, and what’s worse than the size of their diet is their choice of cuisine.  They are picky eaters, passing up most meals, leaving a peculiarly insatiable appetite for plankton.  Plankton are the source of food for many fish in the region that are now being wiped out due to a famine caused by these beastly creatures. 

These hardy carp have made their way into the Mississippi’s tributaries as well–which also happen to be in the watershed of our Great Lakes Basin in the Midwest.  One such river, the Illinois, has proven to be a comfortable home for these pesky giants.  Their populations are soaring, and they are only 30 miles downstream from Lake Michigan’s waters.  If the bigheads were ever to make it into the Great Lakes system, the consequences would be catastrophic.  It has been said that bighead asian carp could be the most serious problem the Great Lakes Basin will face in the next 100 years–disturbing the food web in irreversible ways.  

These fish have not only greatly disturbed the plankton to fish ratio in these waters, but have actually caused injuries to boaters as well. Bigheads are known to be wild jumpers, and with their weight, they have broken boaters limbs and even caused near drownings.  So what is the solution to a plight of this sort?… A lot of great fish stories!  That’s right–fisherman that used to focus their efforts on “sport” fish in the area have now resolved to carp fishing.  

Bigheads and silver carp can fetch about 14 cents per lb, and there is definitely no shortage in sight.  It is estimated that over 20,000 lbs of carp were fished from the Illinois River alone last year.  What’s even more fascinating is the legislature taking place to put these fish on the menu of state prisons in the Great Lakes Region.  Illinois State Senator, Mike Jacobs, is definitely for the measure that would contract prisons to purchase large amounts of the fish for inmate consumption.  Asian markets are also interested in purchasing bulk quantities of the carp.

 

As for the sanctity of the Lake Michigan’s borders, electric gates have been placed along the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, which connects to the Illinois River and Lake Michigan, to send these bigheads packing in the other direction.  We’ll see how this strategy pans out in the future–it’s unfortunate that bighead asian carp don’t have a taste for zebra mussels, another plankton-grubbing invasive species that made its way into the Great Lakes.    

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