Silver carp are one of four species of invasive Asian carp threatening the Mississippi River and other native ecosystems. They can grow to 60 pounds, and they impact the base of the food chain by consuming large amounts of plankton that native fish also rely on.
La carcasa de una carpa asiática saltarina se encontró en el río Mississippi cerca de Winona
22 de agosto 2013
El cadáver de una carpa plateada - del tipo que salta del agua cuando se les molesta - se ha descubierto recientemente en un pilar de la presa al norte de Winona. Es el lugar más remoto, río arriba, que una carpa plateada se haya descubierto en el río Mississippi, según el Departamento de Recursos Naturales de Minnesota (DNR Minnesota Department of Natural Resources).
"Encontrar esta carpa en el alféizar de la presa, sugiere que intentaba saltar sobre él, no era el caso de un salto debido a una perturbación", dijo Nick Frohnauer, coordinador del DNR de peces invasores. "Esto confirma nuestra hipótesis de que la carpa plateada puede utilizar su capacidad de salto para tratar de superar los obstáculos respondiendo a su instinto migratorio e invasivo."
Un trabajador del departamento de pesca y vida silvestre de los EE.UU. (Fish and Wildlife Service) notó por primera vez el pez el 9 de agosto El pez estaba encima de un pilar de hormigón debajo del remate de la presa (Lock and Dam 5), a unos 20 kilómetros aguas arriba de la instancia más al norte que con anterioridad una carpa plateada había alcanzado. La presa está a unos 110 kilómetros al sur de Lock and Dam 1 en St. Paul.
Un biólogo pesquero del DNR, enganchó y rescató el cuerpo del espécimen que había estado muerto por lo menos durante una semana, por lo que el peso, el sexo y el estadío reproductivo no se pudo determinar, pero el cadáver medía aproximadamente 30 pulgadas de largo.
Las carpas plateadas son una de las cuatro especies de carpa asiática invasoras que amenazan el río Mississippi y otros ecosistemas nativos. Pueden crecer hasta pesar 60 libras, y afectar a la base de la cadena alimenticia por el consumo de grandes cantidades de plancton que los peces nativos también requieren.
Las poblaciones de carpas cabezonas y carpas plateadas están establecidas en el río Mississippi y sus afluentes, aguas abajo del Pool 16 en Iowa. La carpa cabezona se han encontrado en el lago Pepin y en los ríos Mississippi y St. Croix, y hacia el norte hasta la desembocadura del St. Croix en Prescott, Wisconsin, pero no hay indicios de que las carpas cabezonas o carpas plateadas se reproduzcan en las aguas del Mississippi o del St. Croix en Minnesota.
LLEGARON LAS CARPAS ASIÁTICAS INVASORAS - La esclusa y presa Lock and Dam N º 1, también conocida como la Represa Ford (Ford Dam) ha sido alcanzada por los peces invasores.
Legisladores y funcionarios estatales debaten estrategia contra la carpa invasiva
15 de enero 2013 por Stephanie Hemphill, Minnesota Public Radio
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/01/15/environment/asian-carp-barrier-debate
ST. PAUL, Minnesota - El Departamento de Recursos Naturales se topó con aguas turbulentas el martes, cuando los funcionarios presentaron su plan para frenar la propagación de la carpa asiática en el río Mississippi.
Legisladores y funcionarios estatales continúan debatiendo la mejor manera de frenar la propagación de la carpa asiática invasora. El DNR recomienda una combinación de burbujas, ruido y luz en la esclusa y presa Lock and Dam N º 1, también conocida como la Represa Ford (Ford Dam).
Las burbujas son consideradas menos eficaces que las barreras eléctricas, pero el Cuerpo de Ingenieros del Ejército de EE.UU., que opera la esclusa, ha dejado claro que no aprobará una barrera eléctrica por razones de seguridad, dijeron funcionarios de DNR.
Steve Hirsch, director de la División de Aguas y Recursos Ecológicos del DNR dice que el Cuerpo de Ingenieros del Ejército de EE.UU.,
"Podemos decir, 'OK, vamos a tratar de todos modos', pero vamos a pasar del millón de dólares en el diseño, cuando sabemos muy bien que la respuesta es no'", dijo Hirsch. "O podemos decir 'vamos a echar un vistazo a nuestra mejor alternativa y ver si eso puede ser aprobado.'"
Algunos miembros del Comité de Política Ambiental (House Environment Policy Comité) se opusieron firmemente a la idea de usar burbuja, sonido y dispositivos luminosos. Dijeron que no sería tan eficaz como una barrera eléctrica.
Mississippi River – The front door
El presidente del Comité, el republicano David Hill, DFL-Crane Lake, dijo que quiere la barrera más eficaz posible.
"Vamos a entrar con los ingenieros, vamos a discutir y averiguar por qué sus demandas y hacer lo mejor", dijo Dill. " probablemente, en algún momento, vamos a terminar diciendo al departamento lo que van a hacer."
Cualquier tipo de barrera tendría que ser considerado experimental porque no hay sitios comparables con barreras operando, de acuerdo con el DNR.
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Legislators, state officials debate strategy against invasive carp
by Stephanie Hemphill, Minnesota Public Radio
January 15, 2013
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/01/15/environment/asian-carp-barrier-debate
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Department of Natural Resources ran into rough waters Tuesday when officials presented their plan to slow the spread of Asian carp in the Mississippi River.
Legislators and state officials continue to debate the best way to slow the spread of the invasive Asian carp. The DNR is recommending a combination of bubbles, noise, and light at Lock and Dam No. 1, also known as the Ford Dam.
Bubblers are considered less effective than electric barriers but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which operates the lock, has been clear it would not approve an electric barrier for safety reasons, DNR officials said.
Steve Hirsch, director of the DNR's Ecological Resources and Waters Division says the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
"We can say, 'OK, we'll try it anyway, we'll spend a million dollars on the design when we know pretty well the answer's going to be no'" Hirsch said. "Or we can say 'let's take a look at what our next best alternative and see if that can be approved.'"
Some members of the House Environment Policy Committee strongly objected to the idea of a bubble, sound, and light array. They said it wouldn't be nearly as effective as an electric barrier.
Committee chairman Rep. David Dill, DFL-Crane Lake, said he wants the most effective barrier possible.
"We're going to get in the engineers, get around a table and find out why their claims are different and try and flesh it out to the best of our ability," Dill said. "At some point we'll probably end up telling the department what they're going to do."
Any type of barrier would need to be considered experimental because there are no comparable sites with barriers operating, according to the DNR.
5/1/2006 - foto de archivo - una carpa cabezona, una especie de la carpa asiática, nada en una exposición en el acuario Shedd Aquarium de Chicago que muestra las plantas y los animales de que se alimentan o con los que compiten. Se le ve con las especies nativas de los Grandes Lagos, ahora amenazadas con su presencia . (AP Photo / M. Spencer Verde)
In this Jan. 5, 2006 file photo, a bighead carp, front, a species of the Asian carp, swims in a exhibit that highlights plants and animals that eat or compete with Great Lakes native species, at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/01/15/environment/asian-carp-barrier-debate
Esclusas y represa Upper St. Anthony Falls
Upper St. Anthony Falls lock and dam
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shekshots/2690317663/sizes/z/in/photostream/
Las visitas guiadas de Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam ofrecen una aproximación a la historia del Cuerpo de Ingenieros del Ejército de EE.UU., el Proyecto Upper Harbor, y el distrito histórico St. Anthony Falls. Desde la plataforma del Centro de Observación para Visitantes, los turistas tienen una vista panorámica de St. Anthony Falls, el histórico Puente de Arcos de Piedra, y el histórico distrito de molienda con el horizonte de Minneapolis como telón de fondo. También es un punto de vista ideal para observar los barcos pasar a través de las compuertas.
Guided tours of Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam provide a history of the US Army Corps of Engineers, the Minneapolis Upper Harbor Project, and the St. Anthony Falls Historic District. From the visitor center observation deck, visitors have a panoramic view of St. Anthony Falls, the historic Stone Arch Bridge, and the historic milling district with the Minneapolis skyline as a backdrop. It is also an ideal vantage point to watch vessels locking through.
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El sueño de viajar al norte de las cataratas St. Anthony Falls en el río Mississippi se hizo posible cuando el Congreso de EEUU aprobó el Proyecto de Desarrollo del Puerto Superior de Minneapolis (Upper Minneapolis Harbor Development Project) en 1937. Este proyecto incluye la construcción de la esclusa y presa (Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam) que se completó en 1963.
Con una elevación de 49 metros, la esclusa en St. Anthony Falls representa más del 10% de la variación total de la altura del río Mississippi entre las Ciudades Gemelas (Twin Cities of Minnesota) y St. Louis (Missouri). El Cuerpo de Ingenieros del Ejército también opera un observatorio en este sitio. Esta esclusa y presa (Lock & Dam), junto con la esclusa y presa bajo las cascadas Saint Anthony Falls Lock and Dam, permiten la navegación por el canal del río Mississippi.
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The dream of traveling north of St. Anthony Falls on the Mississippi River was made possible when Congress approved the Upper Minneapolis Harbor Development Project in 1937. This project included the construction of the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam that was completed in 1963.
With a lift of 49 feet, the lock at St. Anthony Falls accounts for more than 10% of the total height change of the Mississippi River between the Twin Cities and St. Louis, MO. The Army Corps of Engineers also operates an observatory on this site. This Lock and Dam along with the Lower St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam allow navigation to the head of the Mississippi River's 9-foot channel and spans the remnants of the Mississippi River's only waterfall.
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Carcass of leaping Asian carp found on Mississippi River near Winona (Released August 22, 2013)
The carcass of a silver carp – the kind that leaps from the water when disturbed – was found recently on a dam abutment just north of Winona, the furthest upstream a silver carp has been discovered in the Mississippi River, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
“Finding this carp on the sill of the dam suggests that it was attempting to jump over it; it wasn’t just leaping due to a disturbance,” said Nick Frohnauer, DNR invasive fish coordinator. “That confirms our assumption that silver carp may use their leaping ability to attempt to overcome barriers.”
A worker with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service first noticed the fish on Aug. 9. The fish was atop a concrete abutment just below Lock and Dam 5, about 20 miles further upstream of the previously northernmost instance of a silver carp. The dam is about 110 miles south of Lock and Dam 1 in St. Paul.
A DNR fisheries biologist investigated, snagged the fish with a treble hook and reeled it up from the abutment, which was otherwise inaccessible. Because the carp had been dead for at least a week, weight, gender and reproductive ability could not be determined, but the carcass measured about 30 inches long.
Silver carp are one of four species of invasive Asian carp threatening the Mississippi River and other native ecosystems. They can grow to 60 pounds, and they impact the base of the food chain by consuming large amounts of plankton that native fish also rely on. Populations of bighead and silver carp are established in the Mississippi River and its tributaries downstream of Pool 16 in Iowa. Bighead carp have been found in Lake Pepin and the Mississippi and St. Croix rivers, and as far north as the mouth of the St. Croix in Prescott, Wis. But there is no indication bighead or silver carp are reproducing in the Minnesota waters of the Mississippi or St. Croix rivers.
The DNR continues to take a multi-pronged approach to managing Asian carp including:
- Monitoring for Asian carp by using targeted surveying and contracted commercial fishing.
- Partnering with the University of Minnesota’s Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center, which is researching ways to prevent the spread and to manage populations of Asian carp.
- Contracting on the design and approval of an electric barrier using new “sweeping” electrical technology at Lock and Dam 1 in St. Paul.
- Improvements to the Coon Rapids Dam to make it a better fish barrier.
The agency maintains that the best approach to keeping Asian carp out of the upper Mississippi River watershed is to close the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock. The lock is administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and it would require an act of Congress to close the lock.
Find more information on Asian carp in Minnesota.
Protect Your Waters
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Invasive species are species that are not native to Minnesota and cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.
Minnesota waters are threatened by aquatic invasive species. It is illegal to transport any aquatic plants, zebra mussels, New Zealand mudsnails or other prohibited invasive species, or to launch a boat or trailer with these species attached.
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Asian carp pass barriers near Great Lakes
The commercial fishing industry in the Great Lakes, worth more than $7 billion a year, is threatened by Asian carp. Asian bighead (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) and silver (H. molitrix) carp imported in 1970 to remove algae from catfish farms escaped into the Mississippi River during a flood. Since then they have outcompeted other fish. Along some stretches of the Illinois River, the carp make up 95 percent of the biomass. In December, the State of Michigan filed a lawsuit against the State of Illinois to close of locks between Chicago-area waterways and Lake Michigan.
http://www.sciencebuzz.org/buzz_tags/invasive_species
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http://www.cleanwateraction.org/feature/what-are-asian-carp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_carp
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