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Why do we need grass carp in the lakes?
Eighty
Grass Carp were stocked in Lakes of Katy on Thursday, June 5, 2008. The
Lake Pro company provided and delivered the fish. The formal name for
these fish is Triploid Grass Carp (or White Amur). The function of the
Grass Carp is to control weed growth.
Grass
Carp are controlled by the Texas Parks and Wildlife and we had to obtain
a permit to enable us to purchase and stock these fish.
These
Grass Carp are sterile so they will not multiply and overpopulate the
lake.
The fish
are about 10 inches in length when delivered. They can grow to over 60
pounds when full grown (the ones I have seen in other Houston area lakes
have been 5-10 pounds). My experience at other lakes has been that they
frequently lie in shallow water along the shoreline while eating, so
they may be easy to see with the clear lake water.
We have
invested about $15 each in these fish, so we do not want to waste our
investment.
Please:
* Do Not try to catch the Grass Carp
* Do Not play with the Grass Carp
* Do Not feed the Grass Carp
We expect
the Grass Carp to preferentially eat our Naiad weeds. They may eat the
Pondweed only if they run out of other weeds/grass to eat. We do not
expect them to eat Filamentous Algae (although possible) or Cattails.
Woody
Lyles provided a grate for the spillway to prevent the carp from
escaping during overflow conditions. NOTE: This grate is a mandatory
requirement of our TP&W permit.
As of
March 2009, the carp seem to be very effective at controlling our
weeds. We have not had to use and herbicide since adding the carp.
Thanks,
Joe Shea,
for the Lake Committee
PS: Feel
free to contact me if you have any questions.
Click Here
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Triploid Grass Carp Information Sheet
Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department - Inland Fisheries Division
Introduction
The grass
carp, also known as white amur, is a vegetarian fish native to the Amur
River in Asia. The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service introduced grass carp
into the United States in 1963 for experimental purposes. Because this
fish feeds on aquatic plants, it can be an effective biological tool for
control of nuisance vegetation. Since 1992, Texas has allowed stocking
of triploid grass carp, a sterile form of the species, with a permit
from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).
Facts
Triploid
grass carp:
-
offer a biological alternative for aquatic palnt
control.
-
are sterile and will not reproduce.
-
are only distantly related to the undesirable
European carp, and share few of its habits.
-
live for at least 10 years and probably longer in
Texas waters.
-
grow rapidly and may exceed 60 pounds.
-
feed only on plants, not on fish eggs or young
fishes.
-
feed from the top of the plant downward; however,
where all submersed vegetation has been eliminated, the water can
become turbid, as hungry fish eat the organic material out of the
sediments.
-
have definite food preferences. Plants like water
lilies, filamentous algae (pond scum or moss), muskgrass and
Eurasian milfoil are not preferred. Bushy and American pondweeds and
hydrilla are preferred foods.
-
are not effective for control of bulrush, filamentous
algae (pond scum or moss), water primrose, coontail, Eurasian
milfoil, or cattails.
-
go dormant during the winter and resume intensive
feeding when water temperatures reach 68o
F.
-
are difficult to cathc with
conventional fishing methods.
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