UPDATE: Saturday and Monday we met with 2 different processors - allowing them to pitch their ideas of how we can take more fish out and move the fish into the market both large and small. We talked about how we can possibly test a stun boat (electrofishing) and the unified blocking method that will take an entire bay and the use of sound and blocking nets to push them into one area and remove them by nets. Fish and Wildlife Ron Brooks was here today along with others in my county working with Economic Development. We are interviewing processors to see how we can help them be successful. There is really a lot going on as we do what we can to find the best ways to remove the carp and make the price improve for commercial fishermen.
Also I wanted to reiterate our goals - we want to get funding from Congress so we can block movement of the asian carp at our dams with barriers, over-fish them in our lakes and then retreat the commercial fishing efforts back into the rivers. We have a goal of 5-6 years making BARKLEY AND KENTUCKY LAKE not profitable to commercial fishing because they are rare to find. That is a huge goal but i'm convinced in the next 5-6 years if we can get help from Congress we will return Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake to how it was around 10 years ago as far as Carp Population. And we are being very clear with carp processors - our goal is not to sustain their businesses on Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake - they need to build where the rivers can sustain their businesses when we remove them enough from the Lakes that they can't pull enough from the lakes. I believe we can do this!
Also, we are looking at ways that with small investments we can improve the market here and entice more commercial fishermen and other methods of fishing them out. We are serious about our efforts and I believe we will accomplish our goals.
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WADE WHITE
LYON COUNTY JUDGE EXECUTIVE
