Carpe Diem: A Fishy Tale directed by Scott Dobson and narrated by David Suzuki screens as a World Broadcast Premiere on Thursday October 3 at 8:00pm in the 53rd Season Opener of CBC TV’s
The Nature of Things with David Suzuki. This incredible documentary will shake you to the core. North America is under attack by a relentless aquatic invader: our number 1 public enemy is the “Asian Carp”. Their territory extending as far as 100 kilometers south of Lake Michigan and encroaching on the Great Lakes, even with electric barriers in place, can the invasion be stopped? “Asian carp will kill jobs and ruin our way of life”. Such is the sentiment expressed by many American politicians. The carp are a threat to the Great Lakes’ multibillion-dollar commercial fishing industry and could cause the loss of thousands of jobs. The issue of invasive species has resulted in a clash between numerous industries crucial to the Great Lakes states’ economies. The many arguments over the different approaches on how to combat the problem of Asian carp and their high economic and political consequences are presented in this one hour feature. Asian carp were brought to the U.S. about 40 years ago to clean the algae and wastes in commercial catfish ponds in the South. Some owners of municipal sewage treatment plants also bought them in the 1970s with the approval of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) to clean sewage treatment ponds. When the catfish ponds were flooded, the carp made their escape, swimming up the Mississippi and other rivers. Data from the Illinois Natural History Survey indicates that bighead carp abundance has been increasing exponentially in the Upper Mississippi (Illinois river), where the population doubles every year.

Of the five breeds of carp invading North America, the most worrisome are The Big Head Carp and the Silver Carp, known to be relentless bottom feeders that can eat 20% of their body weight in a day. Needless to say there is competition for food and biologist believe that the native fish are smaller than they used to be. One of the particularities of the Silver Carp is to jump out of the water when spooked, Scott Dobson’s documentary certainly showcases this spectacular phenomena, startling at times for both boaters and viewers.

Can commercial fishing of Asian carp part of the solution? YES! There are several commercial carp processing plants, including one in Fulton Illinois that as of early 2010 was processing 12 million pounds of carp a year. The carp sell well in ethnic markets in major cities and are exported to China, Japan and other countries. But most Americans have not embraced carp as a food, primarily because of its reputation as a bottom feeder, and because it is bonier than Americans’ usual fare. Still, for the environmentally conscious, next time you are at the fish market or in a restaurant, try asking for Carp. Scott Dobson’s documentary was certainly an eye opener on the threat to come to our waterways, DO NOT MISS IT.

Christophe Chanel