Damn Prussian Carp

[Red Bullets]

I see that prussian carp have been discovered in Telford Lake in Leduc. There is a small creek that leaves the lake and drains into Saunders Lake by Nisku. The creek that runs out of Saunders is the Blackmud creek that flows into Edmonton and the North Saskatchewan River. I suspect there will be carp in the NS river before too long, if they are not there already. The same coulee that Saunders Lake is in also has Coal Lake further south. Carp have been discovered in Coal too.

Be sure to notify F&W if you discover carp in any waterbody.

[Sooner]

It has been crazy to watch this invasion happen in my recent lifetime. The bucket brigade fools sure did a number with this species seeing how fast and far they have spread. And for what, from what I hear a boney not real good eating fish. Lets hope some of the larger predator fish can at least feast on the young carp.

[calgarychef]

I wonder if it’s not the bucket brigade but eggs riding on birds?
It seems like such a widespread invasion…

[chucklesthe3rd]

Saw a facebook post of someone finding a dead one in sylvan lake too.

Chuck

[npauls]

This problem has been known about by fish and wildlife for 10+ years already. They have been known in the full sask. River system for years. They kept it quiet for a long time before it was made public knowledge. Most waters east of Calgary are infested with them now.

[thumper]

Originally Posted by calgarychef

I wonder if it’s not the bucket brigade but eggs riding on birds?
It seems like such a widespread invasion…

I read a study not long ago, that claimed that a very small percentage of carp eggs can make it through the digestive tract of Mallard ducks, and be excreted viable. Scuds travel between waterbodies clinging to waterfowl feathers, and I expect that crawfish hatchlings probably do as well.

[goldscud]

Interesting the carp keep showing up where anglers go....

Wonder why not every slough with bird traffic isn't full of carp....

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by goldscud

Interesting the carp keep showing up where anglers go....

Wonder why not every slough with bird traffic isn't full of carp....

They are less likely to be found without anglers but there has been lots of posts on AO of people finding carp in random ponds and sloughs without fishing pressure too

The fact of the matter is once an invasive fish is introduced into interconnected waters be it by river, creek, slough, canal or flood plain they spread easily without factoring in people or wildlife

I would say with confidence at this stage the carp are just spreading through number of natural methods more than buckets

[calgarygringo]

Actually around Calgary most of the sloughs and water ponds are full of carp. No way these are all via bucket brigades.

Originally Posted by goldscud

Interesting the carp keep showing up where anglers go....

Wonder why not every slough with bird traffic isn't full of carp....

[AK47]

Originally Posted by goldscud

Interesting the carp keep showing up where anglers go....

Wonder why not every slough with bird traffic isn't full of carp....

Frank lake is full of carp. Doubt bucket brigade is to blame there...

[Lefty-Canuck]

Originally Posted by Red Bullets

I see that prussian carp have been discovered in Telford Lake in Leduc. There is a small creek that leaves the lake and drains into Saunders Lake by Nisku. The creek that runs out of Saunders is the Blackmud creek that flows into Edmonton and the North Saskatchewan River. I suspect there will be carp in the NS river before too long, if they are not there already. The same coulee that Saunders Lake is in also has Coal Lake further south. Carp have been discovered in Coal too.

Be sure to notify F&W if you discover carp in any waterbody.

Saunders and Coal are not connected by any water, the North coal coulee has no inflow/outflow.

LC

[JE Wilson]

Cardiff trout pond North of St Albert has them

[cohod]

I read a Facebook post the other day about a guy catching one in the Bow River around 22X.

[TROLLER]

Originally Posted by cohod

I read a Facebook post the other day about a guy catching one in the Bow River around 22X.

The been catching them at Mckinon Flats for a few yrs now

[buckman]

Perhaps the Pelicans,Cormorants,Ospreys ,Loons,Mergansers and other fish eaters will find then easy prey.I know the Ospreys catch them in one on the ponds in Calgary,also seen the Cormorants fishing for them there.

They should, in theory provide good forage for Pike and Walleye. I suppose we have to live with them and see what the long term effects are.

[cranky]

About a week after it was discovered Cardiff had Carp last year,a group of about 10 people with specialized equipment like 18 foot poles etc. were lined up there catching Carp. Coincidence I doubt it. No retailers around here sell that kinda equipment. Doubt they just happened to have it laying around just in case. It woulda took more than a week to get in. No doubt in my mind who is planting them.

[jungleboy]

Originally Posted by cranky

About a week after it was discovered Cardiff had Carp last year,a group of about 10 people with specialized equipment like 18 foot poles etc. were lined up there catching Carp. Coincidence I doubt it. No retailers around here sell that kinda equipment. Doubt they just happened to have it laying around just in case. It woulda took more than a week to get in. No doubt in my mind who is planting them.

Meh , you can get any gear you want from Amazon in 24 hrs.

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by cranky

About a week after it was discovered Cardiff had Carp last year,a group of about 10 people with specialized equipment like 18 foot poles etc. were lined up there catching Carp. Coincidence I doubt it. No retailers around here sell that kinda equipment. Doubt they just happened to have it laying around just in case. It woulda took more than a week to get in. No doubt in my mind who is planting them.

Or the already owned it

I have seen those rods used to bait fish a number of species not just carp

[crazy_davey]

Can someone explain to me what “bucket brigade” is?

A group who puts out a fire with a bucket?

Honest question.

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by crazy_davey

Can someone explain to me what “bucket brigade” is?

A group who puts out a fire with a bucket?

Honest question.

People moving buckets of fish to different bodies of water

[crazy_davey]

Originally Posted by Smoky buck

People moving buckets of fish to different bodies of water

Thank you. Didn’t realize people did this.

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by crazy_davey

Thank you. Didn’t realize people did this.

Definitely a real issue not even tinfoil hat related

[Buckshot82]

At this points it’s inevitable that most ponds have or will have these carp in them… at this point I’m just waiting to hear of some with size big enough to try bow fishing… seen it in the states on vacation and has intrigued me since

[goldscud]

Prussian carp will max out at about a foot long and maybe 5-6lb.
These are not Common or Grass carp

[AK47]

Originally Posted by goldscud

Prussian carp will max out at about a foot long and maybe 5-6lb.
These are not Common or Grass carp

Confirmed record is 23 inches and more than 10 lb. My personal best from Europe was 5.5lb, over 17inches.
http://www.fishing-worldrecords.com/...20gibelio/show

[burnme]

It's too bad those buggers are here to stay, Gull Lake and Buffalo lake will now have the potential to dry up before they ever pump into them again from the Blindman or Red Deer river. Be sad if the lakes go dormant due to low water levels or the presence of carp. Check out the Gull Lake water shed society page.
https://gulllakewatershed.ca/
They are looking for members to support their cause of getting water levels up

[graybeard]

Originally Posted by buckman

Perhaps the Pelicans,Cormorants,Ospreys ,Loons,Mergansers and other fish eaters will find then easy prey. I know the Ospreys catch them in one on the ponds in Calgary, also seen the Cormorants fishing for them there.

^^^ I agree ^^^

IMHO, the bucket brigades are: Pelicans, Cormorants, Ospreys, Loons, and Mergansers....Especially the Pelicans.

I have seen fish fall from the Pelicans mouth, at both CVR and Lake Newell. All the canals nearby are chocked full of carp....and near the size of a CFL football.
Maybe not the girth but certainly from the side view.

All the pathways are covered and stink of rotting carp form guys catching and throwing them on the ground.

[Macdrizzle]

Correct me if I'm wrong but these prussian carp don't seem to grow very big unlike the big head carp and silver carp in the Mississippi system. Wouldn't prussian carp just end up as a good food source for our pikes to grow big? We have natural predators in most of our lakes so I would imagine these systems eventually reach a natural equilibrium of co-existance. The reason why the silver carp in the US is out of control is because they get so big so quickly there isn't a predator to keep them in check.
If you look at lake whitefish I would argue they are a species that breed like rabbits and get large very fast, much larger than a prussian carp. I fished Mcgregor Lake a lot when I lived in Calgary and the commercial guys would pull 90,000KG of whitefish out of there every year before it got shut down. That's a lot of whitefish in that one body of water that would prey on the eggs of other game fish year after year. But yet big pike, walleye and burbot all still exist in that lake. It's hard for me to imagine a scenario where the Prussian Carp will out compete other native species to the point of extinction.

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by Macdrizzle

Correct me if I'm wrong but these prussian carp don't seem to grow very big unlike the big head carp and silver carp in the Mississippi system. Wouldn't prussian carp just end up as a good food source for our pikes to grow big? We have natural predators in most of our lakes so I would imagine these systems eventually reach a natural equilibrium of co-existance. The reason why the silver carp in the US is out of control is because they get so big so quickly there isn't a predator to keep them in check.
If you look at lake whitefish I would argue they are a species that breed like rabbits and get large very fast, much larger than a prussian carp. I fished Mcgregor Lake a lot when I lived in Calgary and the commercial guys would pull 90,000KG of whitefish out of there every year before it got shut down. That's a lot of whitefish in that one body of water that would prey on the eggs of other game fish year after year. But yet big pike, walleye and burbot all still exist in that lake. It's hard for me to imagine a scenario where the Prussian Carp will out compete other native species to the point of extinction.

Just like any invasive species only time will tell what the results will be

Odds are they will have a negative impact on some species through competition but like you mentioned some of the predators may benefit from them as well. Lots of examples out there of invasive species being both positive and negative to a fishery. The Great Lakes have plenty of examples

[Lornce]

Just a few things about Prussian Carp. Please educate yourself and if possible catch and Kill as many as possible.
Here are two good videos about the problem. Here and Here.

Males are not actually needed for reproduction for this species. This is a bit unusual in the fish world," said Mark Poesch, a researcher and assistant professor with the University of Alberta's Faculty of Agricultural, life, and environmental sciences.

The carp can reproduce through a process called gynogenesis, making each individual fish a carbon copy. This process requires "stolen" sperm found floating around in rivers and lakes, said Poesch.

"The females lay the eggs and actually take sperm from another species, so another species will fertilize the eggs but they won't actually contribute any genetic material," he said.

"This allows them to reproduce in huge numbers. It also means that all the individuals, and we've done some preliminary genetic work, they're all clones. They're all identical to one another."

The fish are voracious plant eaters and their presence can deplete resources, causing native species to fight for food and space.

There are also concerns around "reproductive interference" with native species, Poesch said.

"They're taking the sperm from another species, and so that sperm is not going to fertilize their own eggs, so they're really taking advantage of this unique reproductive system," he said.

"They're here, they're having negative impacts, and they could actually overwhelm the system."

The hardy specimens spawn in huge numbers and can live up to 10 years.

"They first arrived in Medicine Hat and since then, we find them all the way up to the city of Red Deer, and they are literally everywhere."