Opinion by Brandon Butler
Fayette, MO, USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- The National Wildlife Federation (NWF), North America’s largest conservation organization, has been working aggressively for years to raise awareness of and implement action against the continued spread of invasive Asian carp.
Like many problems facing our environment and natural world, Asian carp are for most people, out of sight, out of mind. But if you take a boat ride down any major Midwestern river connected to the Mississippi, you’ll likely come to understand how large the population of these invasive carp has grown to be and what a problem they have become for native fish species.
I was recently catfishing on the Missouri River near Boonville, Missouri. As we motored into a back slough, Asian carp began jumping out of the water all around us. They are so prevalent these days, my fishing buddy, Dave Grabber, doesn’t bring cut bait anymore. Instead, he drives his boat in a slow circle and waits for an Asian carp to jump in the boat. Works every time, he says.
The general population may not understand how critical of a problem the Asian carp invasion has become.
These fish outcompete natives for food, and top spawning and feeding locations. The NWF Great Lakes Regional Center recently released a film called Against the Current to highlight the destruction these fish are causing to the environment and the economy in industries reliant on our Midwestern river fisheries. It also addresses the catastrophe we’d be facing if Asian carp become populated in the Great Lakes. The film features diverse viewpoints representing scientific,
