Colorado Fishermen Help with Invasive Carp Species

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife agency released a statement in the past that one of the local ponds in the state has been dealing with a massive issue – a massive invasive fish species has taken over. The bighead carp has taken over the Jack B. Tomlinson Park in Arvada. A local fisherman tipped off the CPW (Colorado Parks and Wildlife) last week about the issue. The bighead carp species takes over entire ecosystems and the local fisherman had already noticed some changes, hence the tipoff to the authorities. After looking into the pond at the Jack B. Tomlinson Park, the CPW checked a connected body of water for the fish as well.

In total, 14 very large bighead carp have been pulled out of the water.

Each of the 14 fish were at least three feet long. The largest weighed in at 46 pounds. This species of fish were quite literally overflowing the local ponds. Part of the issue of their presence is they are not a native species to Colorado, so the native species that are present in the water were majorly thrown off balance when the carp appeared. The carp feeds on plankton which is a major food source for most native species. Because of their size, the bighead carp eats a lot, so the large breed fish has been ransacking the food source of the quaint pond.

Essentially, if they were to be left unrestricted in the ponds, the bighead carp would completely overtake the water.

Bighead carp were first introduced in Colorado waters in 1992 to assist in a national study looking at ways to reduce pond algae. When the study was over, the carp were removed in 1995. A few slipped through the removal process and have, every once in a while, started up problems, like they did last week in Arvada. But still, the issues have managed to be spread out enough that a member of the CPW called this occurrence, “highly unusual.”

The CPW asked that any other people that are out fishing continue to report any sightings of the bighead carp. They will continue their removal procedures as reports are made to help bring back the calmness of the Colorado ponds.