Using alligator gar to control silver carp

[south_metro_fish]

I was watching River Monsters and watched the one about alligator gar. After hearing about there size and appetite for ruff fish I wondered if they eat the pesky invasive silver carp other wise know as the Asian carp. So I did Google search and came up with an article talking about how in southern states the silver carp seems to be one of there favorite foods. It seems that the gar have taken on a bad name for no reason years ago and there population and range has declined because of eradication from this unwarranted fear. It also sounds like dams and other flood control has contributed to there decline in numbers and range. The episode of River Monster showed there historical range as far north as SE MN on the Mississippi. I found another web site showing it only as far as areas in IL. So this fish looks like it could potentially hold one of the keys to possibly help control the silver carp. Also it seems to be a native fish to ranges farther north where they are working hard to stop the spread of this invasive species. So I was thinking why don't they try reintroducing this native species farther north near the front lines of the effort to stop the spread, and help control the silver carp.

The two web sites I mentioned:

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/apr/11/g-argantuan-group-of-lies/

http://www.fws.gov/arkansas-es/a_gar/agar_maps.html

[Stick in Mud]

Seems pretty fishy!

[itchmesir]

give it a couple years and they will probably be found up here.. as climate changes it's only a matter of time before we get fish that prefer the year round warmer waters..

[mainbutter]

I'd love to see alligator gar reintroduced to their previous habitat.

[Mike_Top]

I have seen that episode of river monsters. That was a cool show, and the one he hooked at the end of the episode was HUGE!!

[CarpinMNRiver]

I would love to fish for alligator gar. That is on the list of fishing trips to make sometime.

[mrklean]

any studies on what they would do to other species in the river?

[mainbutter]

any studies on what they would do to other species in the river?

To the best of my knowledge, so few people actually care about gars, that there really isn't any research on potential changes of reintroduction. Frankly, I'd just like to see them put back in the locations where they were hunted to local extinction during the "all rough fish must be killed on sight" days.

[goblueM]

i don't think they'd even put a dent in the silver carp population

think about shad in a reservoir or river - all the predator fish eat them, and there are always a TON of shad around

[Nick Kuhn]

But you would have some nice fat alligator gar to catch.

[itchmesir]

I don't know why we just don't net the h3ll out of the carp and send them over to china where there is a market for them.. bighead and silvers are a delicacy over there.. and numbers are low

[mrklean]

they have people doing that and they say it doesn't even put a dent in the population

[JimBuck]

But you would have some nice fat alligator gar to catch.

Sign me up!

[LightningBG]

Man I hope to never swim anywhere that this beast is swimming around.

[CJH]

^ This!! I like that all the toothy creatures are down south!!!

We have a friend that grew up in Florida and we had to do some major convincing to get her to swim in the lake at our cabin!!!

[mainbutter]

I used to canoe around Lake Martin when I live in Louisiana. Plenty of big gator gars (and real gators too) in there. The gars in particular loved to hover less than a foot below the water's surface, but there was zero visibility so you couldn't see 'em. I would be paddling around, and if you ever came too close to a gar, they'd feel the pressure waves of the paddling and spook! All of a sudden, there'd be a huge splash/upwelling of water five or ten feet away as they'd dive deep and dash away. Scary but neat, I sure miss having critters in the water like that in my back yard.

[headcheese]

i dont know but i was reading a thread about walleye stamps and i was thinking it would be cool if it was an asian carp stamp!!

they fight hard and taste good!

seriously though, i consider it a big problem. but can anyone say for sure that they will thrive in colder water?

Common carp seem to like warmer shallow slack water. not cold deep lakes or colder fast moving rivers.

just thinking... it will hopefully just be like that occasional sheep head or mudpuppy!

[MinnesnowtaWild]

If we have anything to learn from history, it should be to not F with mother nature!!!

[south_metro_fish]

I see it as we have already F with mother nature in eradicating the gar from there native lands and messing with there environment with dams and flood control. So I don't see how a native fish could do any more damage to its native lands then other means of trying to control these non native fish. There was probably other species that were affected negatively with the eradication of the gar farther north. So far from what I have read it doesn't seem like they affect game fish to much but seem to do a number on the ruff fish. I definitely don't see them as being the lone answer to the invasive carp but it could definitely help and be a factor. It seems that both types of invasive carp don't have to many predators in these waters to keep them in check so I could only see introducing a native one would only help. I would much rather they use the native gar then some other non native species that would go out of control, or the use of chemicals, or messing with the river more affecting other fish in there migration and breeding habitats by messing with the dams more.

It would be a blast to catch one of these monsters. Years ago in front on my grandparents house on the Mississippi down by Winona. I watched the commercial fishermen do a netting run on the ice for ruff fish. I watched them pull sheep head and carp and everything else, but I couldn't believe it when they pulled a at leas 5 foot long nose gar out of the net. I watched the DNR go over with his air boat and take it. I haven't found anything on long nose eating silver carp, but they might. Think there mouth might be too narrow. Be interesting to find out.