Public forum to examine Asian carp 'invasion' in Great Lakes

Fisheries and Oceans Canada along with the Great Lakes Fishery Commission are hosting a public forum to look at keeping out an "invasion" of Asian carp in the Great Lakes.

The event will be hosted in Toronto and will include presentations about the current status of the Asian carp population in the United States.

"The effort to prevent an Asian carp invasion involves many agencies, organizations, and stakeholders," David Ullrich, the Great Lakes Fishery Commission chair said in a statement.

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"It's a prime example of how co-operation is the foundation of fishery management in the Great Lakes basin," he said.

Recently, a commercial fisherman caught a grass carp off Point Pelee in Lake Erie in August. Testing from Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources determined the fish was fertile. It wasn'tthe first fertile grass carp caught in Lake Erie.

Asian carp is a catchall name for species of silver, bighead, grass and black carp from Southeast Asia. The fish typically weigh two to four kilograms, but can sometimes weigh up to 10 times that amount.

A study released earlier this year reports Asian carp could become the most common fish in Lake Erie if the ravenous invaders develop a breeding population in the lake.

The invasive species feast on aquatic vegetation, often uprooting large areas, thus depleting the food supply for other fish.

Grass carp in Lake Erie have mostly been found on the U.S side of the lake near Monroe, Mich. and Sandusky, Ohio.