Sask. fish research group wants photos of invasive species

With fishing season fast approaching, a research group partnered with the Saskatchewan Wildlife Foundationis asking anglers to keep an eye out for an invasive fish species.

Last year, it was reported hundredsof Prussian carp a female fish that can replicate itself using sperm from other species had been found in Saskatchewan waters.

The invasive species' reproductive process,calledgynogenesis, makes it a prolific breeder.

Shayna Hamilton,a researcher with the Saskatchewan Sportfish Research Group,says the Prussian carp can rapidly reproduce and eventually outnumber other fish species.

"We would expect that our sport fish population that anglers are targeting wouldn't be able to keep their numbers up," Hamilton said."It could collapse our recreational fishery."

She says the fish have entered Saskatchewan through the South Saskatchewan River and have colonized the first 300 kilometres of it.

What to do if you come across one

Prussian carplooklike large goldfish. They're much smaller than common carp and easy to distinguish. Hamilton says they only grow up to 40 or 50 centimetres, and unlike common carp, they don't have barbells on the corners of their mouths.

The Saskatchewan SportfishResearch Group says if anglers come across these fish, they should email them at reportinvasivecarp@swf.sk.ca with a photo of the fish, the location where it was caught, and the date of the catch.

Hamilton says this data, as well as data from Alberta, will help the group figure out how fast the invasive species is moving across Canada.

She says the species is native to Asia but is also causing problems in Europe.

"There was a study of a lake done in Greece and in the first year they found a single, individual Prussian carp. Eight years later, 95per cent of all fish in that lake were Prussian carp," Hamilton said.

"They have the potential to be extremely dominant in the system."

As for what can be done about the carp, Hamilton says the government has management tactics it can use, butonce the fish are established, they are very difficult to eradicate completely.

"As long as you can keep their populations down enough that they have a minimal impact, that seems to be the most successful way we know of so far," Hamilton said.

She says the invasive fish are edible and are frequently consumed in Europe and Asia but she warns Prussian carp are a lot bonier than North Americans may be used to.