The TWRA said every time a lock opens and closes, invasive species have the opportunity to move up and down the river.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A sport many East Tennesseans know and love may be threatened by a new fish in Tennessee lakes and rivers.
According to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, there are four invasive species of carp in the waters of western and middle Tennessee. Trace Nystrom, a Knoxville teen, said now is the time to worry about these carp.
“I think the best thing about fishing for me is that it gives me a chance to get out and clear my head,” he said. “It’s just a freshwater fishing paradise here in East Tennessee.”
All of the invasive carp species come from the Yangtze and Amur river systems in China, the TWRA said. These fish were imported into the US for various purposes as early as the 1970s, and were inadvertently introduced into US waters in the late 1980s. This introduction occurred when they escaped from aquaculture ponds in the Delta areas. Mississippi River during extreme flooding, the TWRA said.
A sport synonymous with East Tennessee could soon see rapid changes as carp continues to make progress across the state.
“The biggest threat to our ecosystem here in East Tennessee is the invasive carp that is currently in Middle Tennessee and making its way into the Tennessee River,” Nystrom said. “If Asian carp could spread to the Tennessee River here, property values on lakefront homes would skyrocket.”
Nystrom was recognized as young talker of the year by the Tennessee Wildlife Federation, but he said that wasn’t enough.
“I don’t think I’ll be proud until 10 years from now, there are still no invasive carp here in Lake Fort Loudoun,” he said.
Nystrom also had a final message for the invasive carp making their way through the Tennessee River systems.
“Stop breeding, stop swimming. We need all of you to go down, man. We’ve had enough of you,” he said.
TWRA said invasive carp could deplete and disrupt the current food web of reservoirs that support natural resources, including recreational and commercial fisheries.
silver carp
This invasive carp species feeds on microscopic algae and zooplankton, TWRA said. These fish are problematic because they compete for food and space with native carp species.
Adding to the other problems, the silver carp is the only one of the four invasive species with the ability to jump up to 8 feet out of the water. This makes them even more problematic due to their potential ability to injure boaters, considering they can grow to a whopping 60 pounds.
“Silver carp are the ones that when they hear the vibration of a boat, they jump into the air. And you don’t want a 40-pound fish to hit you in the head when you’re going 30 miles per hour,” Michael Butler said.
According to the TWRA, the earliest report of silver carp in the Tennessee River was a fish that jumped onto a fisherman’s boat at Chickamauga Reservoir in 2019.
TWRA said the most immediate concern is the safety of boaters.
“I mean, you’d hate to see that poor dog getting smoked by a fish. You’d hate to see it,” Nystrom said.
bighead carp
This species of carp eats the same foods as silver carp, causing the invasive species to compete with other fish that need zooplankton such as shad, buffalo fish, and paddlefish.
Additionally, bighead carp can weigh even more than silver carp, potentially weighing up to 100 pounds, the TWRA said.
black carp
This species differs in its diet, focusing on snails and mussels. Black carp were brought to the United States to control snails and commercial catfish ponds, TWRA said.
“Snails serve as hosts for parasitic worms that enter the fish meat, making catfish meat unattractive. Removing the snails eliminates the parasitic worms,” the agency said.
These fish have become problematic because they feed on many species of snails and mussels native to Tennessee.
The black carp species can grow up to around 70 pounds.
The grass carp
The grass carp, also known as the white Amur, has a different diet than the other three species. Instead, they eat aquatic vegetation, TWRA said.
“This species was introduced to the United States to control excess aquatic vegetation (weeds) in commercial catfish ponds,” the agency said.
This species of carp is a problem in Tennessee rivers because it feeds on many types of vegetation that provide cover for a variety of other fish, such as bass, crappie, and bluefish. This also alters the diet of waterfowl, as they eat the same form of vegetation, TWRA said.
“Grass carp are increasingly a cause for concern because recent testing of grass carp in wild populations has revealed that many of these fish are not the sterile variety, so they can, and probably have, reproduced when they get the adequate conditions,” the agency said. .
TWRA said every time a lock opens and closes, invasive species have the opportunity to move upstream and downstream.
The Tennessee Wildlife Federation said the two best efforts to combat this invasive species would be barriers at dams to stop the spread and encourage commercial fishing for the tasty fish.
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