Chinese Grass Carp are an effective,
low-cost method of removing weeds from ponds.
Image credit: USGS
Transcript of the Audio Podcast:
The gluttonous grass carp… on this CurrentCast.
Like a PacMan devouring dots, the Chinese Grass Carp eats aquatic plants, ridding ponds of invasive weeds.
The fish are used in several states to control problem plants like hydrilla. They’re a low cost alternative to herbicides and mechanical weed removal.
However, Bill Haller, Acting Director at the Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants, says with too many carp, all the plants will disappear, affecting waterfowl and fisheries.
Haller: “The problem is if you overstock, you can’t get ‘em out.”
So sterile carp are used in small numbers to play it safe. They are difficult to catch, so are best used in golf course and condominium ponds.
Haller: “That’s kind of the ideal where the grass carp is – where you really don’t want any vegetation.”
Support for CurrentCast comes from the Mitsubishi Corporation Foundation for the Americas. Learn more online at http://www.currentcast.org.
Learn More:
Bill Haller
- “Biology and Control of Aquatic Plants: A Best Management Practices Handbook” from Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Foundation
- “Grass carp — the natural solution to clear weeds from lakes” from the Orlando Sentinel
- “Plant Management in Florida Waters: An Integrated Approach” from the University of Florida
- “Grass Carp: A Fish for Biological Management of Hydrilla and Other Aquatic Weeds in Florida” from the University of Florida
