Boating down the Wabash River near Lafayette on July 16, I witnessed firsthand the broad, winding river’s scenic beauty, but also got a lesson in the environmental challenges the river faces when two Asian carp hurled themselves out of the water and landed in our boat.
The Wabash is Indiana’s iconic river and inspiration for our state song, yet in recent years two species of invasive Asian carp have infested portions of it. These voracious non-native fish consume nutrients in the water, disrupting the food chain and threatening the native fish enjoyed by Hoosier anglers and sportsmen.
At the sound of outboard motors, groups of Asian carp will jump out of the water and can injure boaters.
The invasion of Asian carp into U.S. waterways and the risk they pose to the Great Lakes sport fishing industry has provoked consternation and litigation among our neighboring states. And as Indiana’s attorney general, I want to make sure the Wabash will be protected from further spread of this aquatic nuisance. …show more content…
First is John Goss, director of the federal government’s Asian carp control efforts. John is a native Hoosier and former director of the Department of Natural Resources. He accompanied me in a friend’s Zodiac inflatable boat during part of our river tour and inspection down the Wabash. Goss educated me and people we met in river communities along the way about new approaches being explored to curb the carp population.
In communities along the Wabash, residents have banded together to preserve the river.
In Wabash, Ind., where we launched our boat, we met with Mayor Robert Vanlandingham and some of the Wabash River Defenders, a group of volunteers who sponsor clean-up programs on the banks of the river and advocate for increased use and appreciation of the
The Wabash is Indiana’s iconic river and inspiration for our state song, yet in recent years two species of invasive Asian carp have infested portions of it. These voracious non-native fish consume nutrients in the water, disrupting the food chain and threatening the native fish enjoyed by Hoosier anglers and sportsmen.
At the sound of outboard motors, groups of Asian carp will jump out of the water and can injure boaters.
The invasion of Asian carp into U.S. waterways and the risk they pose to the Great Lakes sport fishing industry has provoked consternation and litigation among our neighboring states. And as Indiana’s attorney general, I want to make sure the Wabash will be protected from further spread of this aquatic nuisance. …show more content…
First is John Goss, director of the federal government’s Asian carp control efforts. John is a native Hoosier and former director of the Department of Natural Resources. He accompanied me in a friend’s Zodiac inflatable boat during part of our river tour and inspection down the Wabash. Goss educated me and people we met in river communities along the way about new approaches being explored to curb the carp population.
In communities along the Wabash, residents have banded together to preserve the river.
In Wabash, Ind., where we launched our boat, we met with Mayor Robert Vanlandingham and some of the Wabash River Defenders, a group of volunteers who sponsor clean-up programs on the banks of the river and advocate for increased use and appreciation of the