Everyone's favorite jumping fish are back with a vengeance on the river banks of the Ohio River here in Owensboro and they are a total nuisance. We've got a video!

WHAT ARE ASIAN CARP?

They are like that annoying little brother or sister that invades your privacy and won't go away only they come in millions and cause lots of problems.

According to usgs.gov;

Asian carp (bighead, black, grass, and silver carp) were imported to the United States in the 1970s as a method to control nuisance algal blooms in wastewater treatment plants and aquaculture ponds as well as for human food. Within ten years, the carp escaped confinement and spread to the waters of the Mississippi River basin and other large rivers like the Missouri and Illinois.

WHY ARE THEY A PROBLEM?

These fish literally take resources from the other fish in our ecosystem.  The Kentucky Department for Fish & Wildlife explains it this way;

Invasive carp are an invasive species that are detrimental to native species in Kentucky. They can out-compete native species for resources and some females are capable of producing over 1 million eggs annually, causing their numbers to grow at an alarming rate. Additionally, silver carp pose a danger to boaters due to the jumping behavior they exhibit when startled. As a result, this behavior can put them on a collision course with boaters causing injury to individuals and property.

One time I was with friends on the Ohio River we were boating and a silver carp jumped right inside our boat.  We all almost leaped into the river.  I have never in my life seen people move so fast.

THEY ARE BACK ON THE RIVERFRONT IN OWENSBORO

Our friends Larry and Rosemary Conder were taking a walk on the riverfront at Smothers Park and got this video of all the carp.  They look cool but they are not.  They are a huge problem!

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Kentucky's Nuisance Animals

A couple of these creatures would cross over into the "dangerous" category, but the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife says that these are ALL nuisances, and with good reason.

Snakes in Kentucky

When you check out the guide, you'll learn--if you didn't already know--that there are only four venomous snakes indigenous to Kentucky and an ENORMOUS number of non-poisonous ones.

 

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