Nothing good will come of these fish in our waterways. They have been around for over ten years originating in the Rosebud river tributaries. The population is exploding and they will become more and more abundant.
They are in all water bodies in southern Alberta that are part of the SRD canal system, and as far North as Red Deer. The Bow river is full of them and they are here to stay as nothing can be done to eradicate them. They reproduce like mice, breeding 3 or more times per year. They tear up substrate and require little to no oxygen to survive and will live out of water for 8 hours or more. They can overwinter in a lake even if it freezes solid because they have the ability to bury themselves in the mud and go dormant.
They are one of the worst invasive species for native fish, and will most certainly have a drastic impact on our fisheries. Some predator fish will certainly benefit in the short term, until they overpopulate the water bodies.
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I have been thinking of three things I would rather do than fishing...
#1 win the lottery (so I could fish everyday)
#2 & 3 still thinking.....
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