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Re: NFC: suckers, water quality
At 9:18 AM -0500 8/22/00, Ty_Hall at eFunds_Com wrote:
>I was mainly concerned of they are detrimental to water quality. I would
>imagine that the young provide forage for other species as well. If any of
>you are familiar with the Fox river, you know that water quality is not
>very good. I know that most of that is due to pollution and other factors,
>but figured if the Suckers and Carp are contibuting to this, then if/when I
>catch one while fishing, I would not return it to the water. I'll have to
>find out if they are native as well.
It can be shown that nearly all (if not all) water quality problems are
caused by man made disruptions. The biggest impacts are caused by the
removal of riparian cover (agriculture), channelization, and waste water,
treated and untreated, from municipalities. These impacts are so huge that
any impact from fish activity is undetectable. If the suckers (or carp for
that matter) are stirring up sediment, the sediment is only there because
of soil erosion caused by the removal of plants and trees that would have
held the soil back. Almost all suckers require clean gravel to spawn on.
This sediment is hurting the suckers, not the other way around. Carp are
found in degraded habitats because they are adaptable enough to survive.
Their eggs are adhesive and will stick to marginal vegetation or whatever
happens to be in the water. I really don't even think that carp are doing
any damage. More likely they are providing prey for game fish in waters
that can no longer support native prey species like suckers, minnows and
darters.
Mark Binkley
Columbus Ohio USA <))><
mbinkley at earthling_net
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