Should You Use Grass Carp For Aquatic Weed Control?
Managing the aquatic plants within a pond, or any body of water is extremely critical. Why you ask? Simple, since for whatever reason, you have chosen that you don’t desire it to be there. Whether these plants have create some sort of hindrance for swimmers, or have have clogged up the engine on a favorite motorboat, you want them to be gone, and there are many ways of doing this.
Of course you can use chemicals, plastic lining, freezing, manually pulling, or perhaps even dye, however all of those are mighty strenuous, and there’s no promise that the pond, or even the fish, will actually be the same again after these actions. Therefore it is time to look into different means—techniques which will not damage you OR the pond.
Around 1963, a brand new fish was introduced in to the U.S. ecology, and this fish was known as the Grass Carp. This fish was deliberately introduced into the ecosystem for the simple purpose of eradicating aquatic plants, and so far it has done a great job. In the United States, A Grass Carp is commonly referred to as the White Amur, presumably because of the fact that the phrase Carp has negative interpretations here in the United States., and the name “Amur” refers to the river which this fish originates from, the river which runs the border between China and Russia.
The Grass Carp, is what’s referred to as an intrusive species, meaning that it will reproduce and overtake the ecosystem that it is introduced into (sort of like humans), but fortunately science has progressed a long way, and while it took a lot of time, and a lot of gene manipulation, sterilizing the Grass Carp finally became standard everywhere in the world so that it’s integration doesn’t hurt or eradicate the local ecology.
Another thing to take into account, is that the Grass Carp doesn’t consume every kind of grass, naturally it loves plants, and would consume the vast majority of it, however as with human being, there are things which it enjoys over others. A few of the things which the Grass Carp will like, are:
Coontail
Spikerush
Smartweed
Bladderwort
Bulrush
Water hyssop
Eelgrass
There’s several others, and a visit to a library, a web search, or a consultation with a professional would quickly reveal the things a grass carp would consume.
When purchased in large amounts, Grass Carp is fairly inexpensive, at about $10-20 for each fish, which is perfectly reasonable considering how long it’ll last; living for about 10-11 years.
In some states, you’ll be required to get a license before you place Grass Carp into any sort of water, whether it is your water. To discover if that’s necessary, talk to a game warden in your area, or simply examine the regulations of the state, as this information is freely available to any person that needs it.
Clearly, Grass Carp are an excellent alternative from utilizing chemical compounds, or lining the pond with a plastic cover, since not just are these perfect for ridding you of undesired plants, you must also keep in mind that this is an interdependent relationship, you give something that they want, and in return they give a service to you, preventing you from having to do it on your own. Overall, that’s a great trade.
