Iowa DNR News
Carp Crew
By Joe Wilkinson
From the depths of the onboard
holding tank, the dip net yielded the bounty of the lake.
Strong, bronze tails thrashed the water into a froth as these
eight-pounders fought captivity. Hoisted from the water, the
sloped faces and round mouths were more clown-like than ugly on
these carp. Earlier in the day, researchers had been tracking
other carp; fitted with radio transmitters to shed light on
their lives and times in Clear Lake.
Sure. But....why carp?
"Yeah. We get that question
quite a lot," grinned researcher Chris Penne. Penne and fellow
grad student Nick Ahrens are halfway through a two year study,
tracking the ugly, unwanted rough fish; part of a study between
the Iowa State University based Cooperative Fish and Wildlife
Research unit and the Department of Natural Resources. "We
explain to people that the carp population is too high in the
lake," explains Ahrens. "As carp feed, they stir up sediment and
uproot aquatic vegetation. That has a negative impact on water
quality and on game fish."
Many outdoor enthusiasts are
familiar with radio telemetry. Everything from deer and bobcats
to turtles and peregrine falcons have been tracked at one time
or another in Iowa Just a few weeks ago, I rode with a crew
following flathead catfish; concerned about potentially
dwindling numbers and habitat in interior streams. Carp, though,
seem pretty well entrenched in Iowa water. Having been
introduced by 19th Century sportsmen, longing for European sport
fishing, they eventually overran many lakes and rivers-the carp,
not the sportsmen. That's where this 'Carp Crew' takes the
stage; concerned not with stabilizing or improving conditions
for the target species, but reducing their numbers.
Commercial fishing nets about
100,000 pounds of rough fish each year from Clear Lake; half of
it carp. Sounds like a lot, but it is a yield of only 30 pounds
an acre on this 3,600-acre lake. "We estimate 150 to 300 pounds
an acre is possible," suggests DNR fisheries biologist Jim Wahl.
"We would like to see carp harvest in the 50 percent range to
make a good dent in the population."
That's a tall order for
commercial fishing operations. This study, though, will reduce
the guesswork. "We are seeing trends (and) getting good
information," advises Penne. "In the winter, carp tend to school
up in large numbers. We actually found 23 of our 30
(radio-tagged) adults within 100 meters of each other! During
spring, they tend to run in shallow in the west end of their
lake, probably due to spawning. Post-spawn, they move out to
deeper waters."
Should the research hold, it
will be valuable; here and on other lakes where rough fish have
become major problems. Commercial fisherman could work more
efficiently; targeting certain areas at certain times of the
year to increase their haul.
Aiming the 14-foot wide mast to
hone in on various frequencies, Penne and Ahren located carp
'151.' The eight-pounder was 200 yards out from shore, in five
feet of water. A week prior, he was grubbing through cattail
beds on the west edge of the lake. Meanwhile, '48.301' (each ID
comes from a fish's transmitter frequency) was skittish. "He
seems to move every time we come close in the boat," recalls
Ahrens. "He doesn't like to sit still." The researchers also
surgically implanted transmitters in eight to 10-inch juvenile
carp this spring. That gave them important data on smaller fish,
before their 90-day batteries expired.
"We track lots of variables;
not just calendar movements," notes Penne. "What depths they
hold in, at certain times of the year; even where they go after
precipitation or a temperature change." He points to Ventura
Marsh, separated from the west end of Clear Lake by a low
causeway and a human-built 'grade' which keeps fish from filling
its muddy shallows. Rough fish here were removed several years
ago. "The water quality increased when we removed the rough fish
in Ventura Marsh," notes Penne. "By increasing removal in a
lake, we think we would see a dramatic improvement in water
quality...and more habitat for the game fish that anglers
pursue."
Goose Herding Border
Collie Enjoys the Good Life at Rice Lake Country Club
by Lowell Washburn
LAKE MILLS--Roy is the
friendliest guy you'll ever meet. He loves people, he loves
life, and, above all, he loves his job. And who wouldn't?
Roy has never been in debt.
He's never paid a single bill. He spends most of his year on the
golf course, and chases wild geese whenever he feels like it.
Up on Main Street, the local
residents --- at least those who gather at the Grand Cafe each
day for morning coffee --- all agree that Roy is leading nothing
short of a dog's life. It's hard for anyone to argue the point.
You see, Roy really is a dog -- a high-test, purebred border
collie to be exact.
Roy is currently a full time
employee of Winnebago county's Rice Lake Country Club. Located
near the south shore of Rice Lake, the Country Club is an
18-hole, 125 acre, public golf course. Beautifully landscaped
and interspersed with crystal clear ponds, it is nothing short
of a golfer's paradise.
Rice Lake is also home to
Iowa's largest concentration of Canada geese. During late autumn
peak numbers may reach, and sometimes exceed, 45,000 birds.
Attracting large numbers of sightseers and hunters, the geese
have a significant and positive impact on local economies while
providing widespread recreational opportunities. But when a
large number of those same honkers drop by to visit the local
Country Club, they are no longer viewed as an asset.
"At times, the geese have
really become a problem here," says Bob Berger, course manager
for the Rice Lake Country Club.
"During summer, the geese leave
droppings which makes them unpopular with members and may have
resulted in some loss of business. During fall and winter, goose
numbers build and that's when the birds can inflict severe
damage to the course."
In November of 2003, Berger
reported a flock containing over 4,000 Canada geese on a single
fairway. The grazing honkers took some spots right down to the
dirt, and around thirty percent of two putting surfaces [greens]
were completely destroyed.
"We tried things like shell
crackers, but the geese were too smart and caught on," said
Berger. "Then John Hunchis, who is one of our board members, saw
where people in other parts of the country were using dogs to
herd geese. He lives next to the course and offered to house a
dog if the Country Club wanted to get one."
The board met and decided to
give the idea a try. In June 2004, Roy was purchased for 3,300
dollars from Kuyendall's, a North Carolina kennel that
specializes in training border collies to herd problem Canadas.
The dog arrived fully trained, and even came with a warranty
that promised the collie would faithfully execute his duties.
"Once Roy arrived it was mainly
a matter of making him feel at home and get used to the new
surroundings," said Berger. "We didn't need to teach him
anything about herding, he already knew that."
"Most of the work here has been
done around ponds because that's where the geese like to be. Roy
has been great around water. The trainers in North Carolina said
he's the best swimmer they've ever seen, and we believe it."
"Once a flock is chased into a
pond, Roy jumps right in after them. The geese usually separate.
Roy picks the one he wants and herds it until the bird gives up
and flies off. Once that bird leaves, he picks another."
Berger is quick to point out
that Roy is a herder and not a hunter. When goose families [with
young goslings] walk onto the course, the collie's focus is to
move rather than catch the flightless youngsters.
With one full year of
professional goose herding under his belt, Roy is currently
receiving rave reviews. There are no more goose droppings near
the ponds, on greens, or on trendy golf shoes. Total turf damage
has been reduced by an astounding 99 percent.
"I think the geese are getting
the message," says Berger. "As long as Roy is on the course, the
program is working. In June [2005] we only observed geese about
once a week which is a dramatic decrease from what we've had in
the past."
"Our members are very happy. I
don't think there's any doubt this dog will pay for itself.
