Here Snakey Snakey Snakey!

exotic invasives pose unique threats throughout the country!
By Robert Rice

As you can see from our news section not only does Carpbusters have a big job to do with the Carp invasion but in good ole Florida home of the Seminoles, Gators , The Orange Bowl and bleach colored tourist there is now a second unpleasant distinction. Exotic invasive reptiles are advancing. Now Florida has real, big reptiles that are threatening both man and beast down there. The Python , the Monitor Lizard and the Iguana have set up shop to the detriment of their neighbors. It's a growing problem that no one wants to address except little ole Carpbusters. Here is the Math, Invasive Reptiles are killing native things that's Bad, Mean Lizards are living in town that's bad, no one wants to trap them full time because they bite , scratch and kick and have venom in their scratchy parts, that's bad. You cant shoot em in town with a gun that's bad.

A Invasive snake is in the everglades that's bad, Snake gets to 30 feet that's real bad, Snake likes to eat pretty, unique native birds that's even worse. Carpbusters is swamp ready with Airboats that's good. We are in process of negotiating allowing a team to deal with these beasts with specialized arrows. We hope we set an example for sportsmen to get involved and we want lead the way in motivating legislators to amend laws to encourage Invasive species Harvest. By dealing with invasives via harvest we are preserving Florida's unique animals like the burrowing owl that are being impacted by these invaders. We want to show we can harvest the bad guys with minimal environmental impact at no costs to the State or Federal government if they only give us a chance. While it won't solve the problem it may help control it And I'm sure the burrowing owl would appreciate all the help they can get.

Two sets of rules
Speaking of you can't do that kind of stuff, did you know that Illinois Law does not allow anyone to sell a fish harvested with a bow? Carpbusters has been lobbying for changes for years now but so far no luck. We do have a fascinating letter from September 2006 explaining the state position. It's basically a page and a half of you cant sell them because there is no market so we wont let you sell them kinda stuff.

Now if a fella harvest's a 1000 pounds of silver carp and would like to sell them to say a trapper for bait, a wildlife rescue center for food, a turtle farmer for food or even a fur farmer (minks, raccoons etc do eat fish) at a very low price of say a dime a pound to cover his gas etc he would be breaking the law and face big fines and penalties. The Illinois state fisheries folks tell us there is no market for these fish with holes in em, so they won't let us sell the fish with holes in them even with a commercial fishing license. Bad idea Illinois. How in the world can a fella develop a market for a fish when they won't let him sell that fish under any circumstances .Well of course there is no market for these fish when Illinois punishes you if you try to make one. Imagine this conversation, hey buddy got any carp for sale I have hungry Raptors at the wildlife rescue center? Yes, Ummm do they have holes in them? Yes. You sir have the right to remain silent!

If the government agencies keep up this insane circular government logic, look for a Carpbuster's webpage with all these scanned , strange correspondence from our government officials protecting us from harvesting invasive exotic animals that they spend hundreds of millions of dollars to remove via poisons and commercial nets which kill tons of native fishes. Apparently only they can kill em, right?

A Carp Sanctuary or two
Speaking of the dang I cant believe that really happened. Carpbusters continues a lonely fight against a couple of Carp advocacy groups that have gotten carp keeping banned in Santee Lake California which is a closed in lake with a vibrant Bass fishery . The seem to feel the handful of folks who go to the Santee lake management meetings demanding no carp keeping are in fact mainstream and reasonable . Biologist and sportsmen across the world shudder at that decision.

I am sad to report that a score or two of UK and US carp anglers have successfully motivated the Texas Wildlife and Parks Department to change legislation and in 2008 they will begin managing Lady Bird Lake in Austin Texas (formerly Town Lake) as a Carp Sport Fishery with slot limits. The managed Carp fishery will be the first of its kind that we know of. This open ended lake will of course add more silt and carp into the towns downstream. Even stranger is that the lake is not heavily fished for carp. So to manage it to grow more carp seems a little redundant since its all ready got more carp than anywhere around there which is why the carpers like it.

Funny thing about all this is both lake management districts did no sampling of their carp populations, no environmental impact study, no long term turbid water studies all they did was follow the will of the handful who showed up at the meetings and gave them what they wanted. Invasive species or not send a crew of 12 to a meeting and we can probably get it approved somewhere seems to be a new fisheries management plan. If you want to watch 24 or so carp f ishermen manipulate Texas fisheries policy please watch the video on our site under the stop the sanctuary icon by clicking here.

Boy I sure hope 24 Snakehead anglers don't descend on Austin's Town Lake. In no time we could have Snakehead creel limits on Lady Bird Lake ! Oh and for the records this same bunch of characters' promises to promote carp sanctuaries and creel limits in bodies of water all of the US to promote Euro style carp fishing. So look for 6 catch n release only Euro wanna be carpers to show up in unison at your local fisheries organization public meeting in hopes of calling it a movement. Then kiss your Bass goodbye.

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