Colorado authorities recently announced that they have recovered huge invasive fish from a local pond, all thanks to a local fishing enthusiast.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) issued a press release about the discovery on Monday. Officials explained that a fisherman alerted them to the presence of bighead carp at Jack B. Tomlinson Park in Arvada, Colorado, last week.
“Acting on a tip from the public, CPW aquatic biologists removed the fish from the pond and checked a neighboring body of water connected by a culvert for nuisance species,” CPW explained.
In total, fourteen bighead carp were found, all of them large. All of the fish were at least three feet long and the heaviest weighed a whopping 46 pounds.
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The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Department (CPW) announced that fourteen huge bighead carp were removed from an Arvada pond. (Colorado Parks and Wildlife)
“Bighead carp, part of the Asian carp family, are not native to Colorado and have a negative impact on the overall ecosystem as they are prolific feeders,” CPW said in a statement. “They feed primarily on plankton and compete with many species of native and sport fish that rely on plankton as a food source.”
Freshwater fish have such large appetites that they place a significant burden on native species.
“Bighead carp are filter feeders and can grow to incredible sizes in large and small bodies of water,” CPW Invasive Species Program Director Robert Walters explained in a statement. “Once established, these fish can outcompete native Colorado species for food and resources.”
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Bighead carp have such a large appetite that they place a significant burden on native species. (Colorado Parks and Wildlife)
Bighead carp were introduced in 1992 as part of a national study on pond algae reduction, CPW explained, but even after being eliminated in 1995, the species persisted.
Kara Van Hoose, public information officer for CPW's northeast region, told Fox News Digital that it is “very unusual” to find bighead carp in Colorado waters.
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The huge bighead carp were recovered from the Colorado pond, authorities said. (Colorado Parks and Wildlife)
“Anglers should report anything strange they see while fishing to CPW,” Van Hoose advised. “This is a good example of what can happen to fish that have no natural predators in the area and an endless supply of food.” .
“The carp outcompeted any other species in the pond and negatively affected the overall aquatic health of the pond,” he added.
In a social media post, CPW joked that “a lot of Jaws jokes were made” about the discovery. The wildlife department also thanked the fisherman who tipped them off.
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“This operation began with a tip from a fisherman,” CPW District Wildlife Manager for Westminster and Arvada, Philip Sorensen, said in a news release. “We are grateful when the public reaches out to tell us about invasive species in their neighborhoods. We want to know about the presence of invasive species.”
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