How much do you know about GRASS CARP?!

I’ve partnered with the Invasive Species Centre to help spread awareness about Grass Carp, an invasive species that threatens our Great Lakes. As anglers, it’s our responsibility to be educated on aquatic invaders. Test your knowledge of Grass Carp with the facts below and keep an eye out for upcoming info on identification and reporting!

Learn more at: www.asiancarp.ca

DID YOU KNOW?

? Grass Carp are one of the FOUR species of Asian carps that threaten our Great Lakes – the others are Bighead, Black, and Silver carps.

? Grass Carp are the most immediate threat to our Great Lakes.

? Evidence of Grass Carp reproduction was recently found in the Sandusky and Maumee rivers, two US tributaries of Lake Erie. The good news is that there’s no evidence of an established population in the Canadian Great Lakes.

? Grass Carp are gluttons! They can eat up to 40% of their body weight in aquatic plants DAILY! They only digest about half of what they consume and expel the remaining material – which pollutes the water, reduces water clarity, and can cause algal blooms.

? All that eating takes away food, shelter, and spawning habitat from native species, like northern pike, muskellunge, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, and walleye.

? Grass Carp are MASSIVE, reaching 5’ long and over 90 lbs! Native predators don’t have mouths big enough to eat them!

? Canada and the US are hard at work preventing a Grass Carp invasion in the Great Lakes. Fisheries and Oceans Canada monitors ~36 high-risk spots throughout the Great Lakes and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) checks water samples for Asian carp eDNA.

Help spread the word and keep our fisheries healthy!

Ashley Rae

www.SheLovesToFish.com