Problem: Northern Pike...Solution: Poison the Lake and Kill ALL the Fish?

Crazy?

Well I started news story on this but it has gone to BTS to die a slow death so I was permitted to post it on ATS in this forum.

Northern Pike Fish Kill Ready to Go

www.news10.net

Nearly 400 workers from the California Department of Fish and Game were in Plumas County Monday, preparing for the largest manmade fish kill in this state in a decade.

"We've been basically working for this day for the past two years and we're ready to go," said spokesman Steve Martarano.

(visit the link for the full news article)


Related News Links:
news.rgj.com
www.signonsandiego.com
www.my58.com

Where's PETA on this one?

The poison being used in this California lake kills all gill breathing fish. This lake is also a reservoir for local dirinking water.

They say this poisoning of the lake will not affect other animals or the drinking water, they are also going to replenish the prized trout supply but I wonder if this is the way to get this done.

They haved already failed in getting rid of the Pike in 1997 by poisoning.

Having been an avid pike fisherman, I am sure there are many out there who have enjoyed a few fish frys with the delicious fish.


Here is some info on the poison used in this fishkill:

WIKI

pesticideinfo.org


Edit:sp

[edit on 2007/9/25 by JacKatMtn]

WHY? I repeat... Why? I mean isn't the Northern Pike indigenious?

reply to post by grover


Not in that California lake Grover, I can't believe they couldn't come up with a better and safer way to help get rid of the pike.

I am not buying that the 16000 gallons of poison is considered safe.

Though it is supposed to dissipate quickly, it still is an eerie thought to know the poison was dumped in a lake where my drinking water comes from.

Waah! What's with the overkill?

Question: Isn't the Department of Fish and Game supposed to protect wildlife to an extent?

Ahh I see says he.... having caught trout and pike... trout are over rated... pike put up a hell of a fight at least the ones I caught did.

Of course they were probably indignent that they got caught by such a lousy fisherman.

Originally posted by grover
WHY? I repeat... Why? I mean isn't the Northern Pike indigenious?

This problem of Northern Pike is happening all over the place. Canada and Alaska and many states in the Lower 48 have this problem. Pike are not from these waters but Pike fisherman insist on stocking them in the dead of night. The Pike kill the indigenous fish and the only solution is to kill the Pike and re-introduce the original fish. The Pike fisherman who plant the fish are the true problem. I don't know why they insist on doing this but they won't stop! If you know one of these fellows please ask them to stop doing this!

By the way fish do not have a Cerebral Cortex. They feel no pain and are not self aware. They are literally swimming biological robots. Don't confuse them with Mammals who live in the water. Just like a Lobster or Crab feel no pain whatsoever when cooked alive. They don't know they exist and feel no pain hence no reason for sympathy.

reply to post by Blaine91555



I understand the effects of introducing the pike into waters where it isn't native, and the potential disasterous due to their introduction, but come on, poisoning the entire lake and killing ALL the fish doesn't seem like the proper way to do this.

There has to be a more viable and safer way to do this, dumping poison in the water seems like dangerous way to do this.

I could ALMOST understand poisoning a personal pond and killing all the fish *IF* it wasn't a water supply for wells and such. But doing it in a public body of water and it being a water supply for humans, I don't advise that at all. On the other hand, I guess you'd have to find out what kills pike, then find out what kills the thing that kills pike, etc... until you basically destroy the little biosphere and start over...

Pike are AWESOME! Back in the late 70's there was a reservoir called 11 mile reservoir in Colorado that had a large sucker population. To control it Northern Pike were introduced. They did quite well and some achieved legendary size. I preferred catching them to the native trout.

reply to post by JacKatMtn


I would have to agree. If I've learned anything from our medical history, it's don't believe them when they say it's completely 100% safe. I can see the headline 10 years from now:

Recent Research Concludes that Poison Used in the 2007 Lake Davis Fish Kill Causes Brain Tumors!

I have caught and eaten many northern pike. Why do they want to kill them all? They are delicious, and fun to catch because they fight like crazy. And they look like some sort of pre-historic alligator fish.

Originally posted by grover
WHY? I repeat... Why? I mean isn't the Northern Pike indigenious?

No not in this area. It was illegaly introduced and has taken over the lake area.

Ok, nevermind if they are not originally from that lake, I guess they should be dealt with. We had the same problem on our ranch with elk. They were not native to the area, and they eat all the grass and make the native deer disappear.

Originally posted by downtown436
I have caught and eaten many northern pike. Why do they want to kill them all? They are delicious, and fun to catch because they fight like crazy. And they look like some sort of pre-historic alligator fish.

They kill the indigenous fish and destroy the local ecosystem. The people planting them do it on purpose so they can fish for them.

Ok regardless of the pike's standing in regards to the ecosystem, does poisoning a water source sound like that great of an idea?

You would think the Fish and Game crew could come up with a better scheme than dumping pesticides in drinking water.

I guess not, they do work for the US government...

Stop and think for a moment.

Regardless of the pike being a native species to the area, does it make sense to poison a whole lake, possibly killing every living animal (or mutating) for the sake of exterminating one species of fish?

Does Fish and Game know the potential outcomes of adding pesticides to a lake? Other non-native species could decide to take over now that all the pikes are gone. Not to mention non-native plants typically come in around the same time a massive wildlife extermination occurs.

Do they know the effects on other local wildlife, possibly unwanted consequences?

Its not like there's an infestation of Great White that is slaughtering hundreds of humans daily, they're freaking sport fishing...

Use your brains for once...

Mark my words, this will turn out far worse for this Californian lake and area...

Doesn't that water eventually end up in the ground water where people drink from? I'm sure there are people near there that get their drinking water from a well. Putting poison in water sounds like the opposite of an environmentally sound solution. I think the use of explosives and nets would actually be more environmentally sound then poison.

It is done.......

Thousands of fish go belly up as poisoning of Lake Davis starts

The poison began flowing into scenic Lake Davis early Tuesday morning, and by midday thousands of dead fish were washing ashore or floating belly-up in the northern Sierra reservoir.

By the end of the week, the death toll is expected to include all of the lake's famous rainbow trout, many catfish, shiners and other bait fish along with tens of thousands of the voracious invader known as the northern pike.

another link: news.rgj.com


The saddest thing is that the agency poisoning the lake doesn't know if it will solve the problem....

"If we don't get them this time,

we will have to weigh whether it's humanly possible to eradicate pike in Lake Davis."-

-- Ed Pert, incident commander for the California Department of Fish and Game

I hope those who said this was the safe way to go are correct.....

we shall see....


edit:sp






[edit on 2007/9/26 by JacKatMtn]

reply to post by cloakndagger


The state dug alternative wells and installed monitoring equipment. They also looked at alternative and even tried catching them but the pike breed too fast to make a dent, and draining the watershed was deemed even worse.

Originally posted by FredT
The state dug alternative wells and installed monitoring equipment.

I read in the article that they did this in '97 due to the protests, but I can't remember seeing that they did it this time.

They probably have I am just asking for you to confirm that they did this for the current poisoning.


One thing that I still find ironic is they say they are getting rid of the pike because they could potentially kill the prized trout fishing industry the lake is famous for.

In poisoning the lake and killing ALL the gill breathing fish (trout included), hasn't the state killed what they are trying to save?

Don't tell the bushies about this they might try it in Iraq.