GRAND RIVERS, Ky. — Wildlife experts are trying a new method to get Asian Carp out of Kentucky waterways.
It’s called the modified-unified method, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service displayed it Monday at Kentucky Lake for government officials.
“What’s happening back here is a real success story in government,” U.S. Rep. James Comer, R-Kentucky, said. “Everyone coming together, everyone setting a goal, working together to achieve a goal, bringing different government agencies to work together, and of course, having the funding to do what needs to be done.”
Crews on boats use speakers, nets and some electrified fishing equipment to corral thousands of Asian Carp into one area, and then sweep them out of the water.
Illinois and Missouri have already started testing the method and state officials say they have caught 90 percent of the Asian Carp in the areas they targeted.
United States Geological Society researcher Duane Chapman said the method is based on what Chinese officials do to contain their Asian Carp population.
Chapman said that the method takes a few months and American crews didn’t want to wait that long.
“We basically had to incorporate new technology,” Chapman said. “It has only been a couple of years since we tried this for the first time and we’re trying to figure out the ways to make it work.”
At the state level, a portion of funding for Asian Carp containment comes from an increase in boating fees regulators requested in 2017.
At the federal level, Congress approved $25 million for Asian Carp removal efforts, including what’s happening in Kentucky.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said it’s just the beginning.
“What we’ll do each year is sit down and do an assessment with all the people you heard from here today: What can you usefully use for another year?” McConnell said. “And I think I’m in a pretty good position to get the funding.”
And he said the debate isn’t necessarily a partisan one.
“There are local needs that need to be taken care of and I’ve always put a heavy emphasis on that,” McConnell said.
Congress also provided funding for technology at the nearby Barkley Lock and Dam to stop the Asian Carp from getting into the lake in the first place.
Gov. Andy Beshear said the state will do what it can to help contain Asian Carp.
“Ultimately, I think that we have a problem here that we’re not going to solve overnight, but we’re going to do what it takes,” Beshear said. “When you look around these lakes and you see the potential for us to have something that rivals Lake Tahoe or something anywhere else in this country, but to get there, we’re going to have to address and defeat this challenge.”
Asian Carp have infested Kentucky waterways in recent years, providing challenges for both fish and wildlife.
Asian Carp out-compete other fish species for food, and some feed on freshwater mussels that keep the water clean for other animals.