It was standing room only in the Lyon Convention Center in Eddyville Friday as people filled the room to learn what’s being done in the ‘war on carp’—against the rising Asian Carp population in Kentucky.
Congressman James Comer hosted the formal congressional hearing by the Subcommittee on the Interior Energy and Environment with the intent to take the information back to Washington D.C.
Kentucky Lake Convention and Visitor’s Bureau Executive Director Randy Newcomb says Asian carp are a danger and have negatively impacted the fishing and tourism industries in the state significantly, particularly on Kentucky and Barkley Lakes.
The carp are also endangering native species of fish and other wildlife by over-eating available food sources. Measures have been in place for several years to cut down on the carp population, but the numbers continue to rise and agencies are coming together to develop a plan.
One possible solution is creating a ‘sound fence’, as described by Mark Gaikowski, Director of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, which would use acoustics to create a barrier to the fish, which are sensitive to noise.
Installation and testing of that system could happen in spring of 2019. He says another option could be chemical eradication or genetic modification of the carp.
Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Fisheries Director Ron Brooks says they also want to incentivize commercial fishermen to locate in the state and harvest the carp.
Congressman Comer says he is committed to fighting this issue and the witnesses testified that what they need most is money allocated from the federal government to help set solutions in place. The congressional hearing helped bring people together, trade ideas and set a plan in place that will hopefully reduce the carp invasion.