A 32-pound grass carp caught near Fort Erie, in the Upper Niagara River in mid-August was found to be sterile.
A 32-pound grass carp caught near Fort Erie, in the Upper Niagara River in mid-August was found to be sterile.
An invasive grass carp weighing 20.996 kg was caught by a commercial fisher in the Bay of Quinte on July 3, reported Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Used in some states for algae control in ponds, grass carp, a supposedly sterile species, have been in Lake Erie for more than 30 years.
A recent study determined that as many as 144 additional invasive species could potentially invade the Great Lakes.
A study released last year confirmed that captured Asian grass carp caught in Ontario were of captive, rather than wild origins.
Two grass carp were captured in Ontario this summer, OFAH’s Invading Species Awareness Program (ISAP) confirmed.
Unique effort shows invasive grass carp could be eliminated from the Great Lakes, if a planned attack against the species works as intended.
No Asian carp were found in the Great Lakes during this year’s early detection surveillance, but experts say Grass carp – the only species of Asian carp found in Ontario waters to date – remains the most imminent threat.
Although a fertile grass carp, a species of Asian carp, caught in Lake Erie is a cause for concern it shouldn’t be seen as the first wave of an invasion of the giant invasive fish.