2 May 2011

Carp Cam!

| johnboy
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The miracle of YouTube brings us this video of underwater carp filming in Lake Burley Griffin, mostly from the Scrivener dam wall. It was posted by OzCarpCam with this note:

Unfortunately, the visibility is pretty bad at this time of year. It will improve slightly later on and in total darkness, the IR illumination makes quite a difference. This short clip was thrown together to collect the sightings that we had during over an hours testing.

There’s certainly a lot of them down there!

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Disinformation said :

Actually, that’s not quite correct, but the anticarpers like to promote it. Carp exist in other areas of the world in water with incredible visibility. You’ll note that waterways WITHOUT carp in Australia still look like murky crap. The fact that Australia is a dirt based riverbed is what causes most clarity issues. The lake is bad at present because of the water movement. It will settle down in winter and underwater videos will improve..

Well, there is this study – Effect of carp, Cyprinus carpio L., an exotic benthivorous fish, on aquatic plants and water quality in experimental ponds (and a few hundred others) which seem to contradict your argument. The fact that carp exist in clear waterways in other places is proof that in some habitats (different geology, maybe, or plants which are adapted to predation from carp?) they don’t cause excess turbidity, it does not mean they don’t cause it here.

Disinformation9:17 am 03 May 11

breda said :

Since you don’t believe science based sources – how about that we SAW them in the shallow parts of the dam continuously rooting around in the mud, stirring it up, and uprooting plants.

No doubt, in a lake, dam or river with a stony bottom, there would be less turbidity. Are you perchance a Green politician who died and came back as a carp?

And you can prove that this is a science based source, how? Any references on piscatorial studies?
This, as per usual isn’t about facts. It’s about people holding on desperately to conventional knowledge. There are NO studies, including your own observations, that carp stir up the waters. That which is asserted without proof can be dismissed without consideration. I can easily google hundreds pictures of carp in clear water in lakes and rivers in France, Germany, Italy and the UK. Thus, the presence of carp does not categorically equate to murky water. This defeats your observations and can be verified by anyone who can operate google or youtube.
No. I’m not a green politician, but I am a reasonably successful carp fisherman. I also don’t put them back in, which is optional in the ACT and NSW.(Contrary to conventional knowledge) People might find this out if they bothered to read the regulations.

Nobody has actually proven that carp stir up the water. They just have suspicions that it might happen and the average Australian loves to have a reason to hate things. They’re still pest species and displace naturals, but blaming them for significant water visibility changes when evidence of carp in extremely clear waterways is eminently available leaves this theory in doubt. In fact this video of carp in the water is probably the worst in terms of visibility on all of youtube.
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The dam on my parents’ property was unfortunately infested with carp, introduced by a previous owner. Captain RAAF would have approved our attempts to get rid of them, but since there were various other critters in there we didn’t want to wipe out, there were some constraints.

Since you don’t believe science based sources – how about that we SAW them in the shallow parts of the dam continuously rooting around in the mud, stirring it up, and uprooting plants.

No doubt, in a lake, dam or river with a stony bottom, there would be less turbidity. Are you perchance a Green politician who died and came back as a carp?

Disinformation10:11 pm 02 May 11

Ko. said :

Disinformation said :

breda said :

Kewl. One of the reasons the water is so murky is because the bloody carp stir up the bottom all the time, digging around for food.

Actually, that’s not quite correct, but the anticarpers like to promote it. Carp exist in other areas of the world in water with incredible visibility.

So why is Googong clear and LBG murky? They have the same substrate. One has carp one does not.

LBG gets reasonably clear at various times of the year, just not AS good as Googong. Carp have been recorded as being in Googong in 1990 and 1999, with unconfirmed angler reports occasionally.
Nobody has actually proven that carp stir up the water. They just have suspicions that it might happen and the average Australian loves to have a reason to hate things. They’re still pest species and displace naturals, but blaming them for significant water visibility changes when evidence of carp in extremely clear waterways is eminently available leaves this theory in doubt. In fact this video of carp in the water is probably the worst in terms of visibility on all of youtube.

Disinformation9:57 pm 02 May 11

breda said :

It is true that carp are not the only reason for turbid water, but they definitely contribute significantly to it. Imagine the destruction one of those monster ones could wreak on the bed of the lake in a day’s digging around, by uprooting plants and stirring up sediment.

There are other studies which actually don’t show this. Carp exist in other parts of the world you know. Those areas don’t have murky water and a quick youtube will find MANY other videos of carp in clear water… “Significantly” is a word with no value at all in it because you can’t define it. I can also “imagine” carp breathing fire and hurling themselves against windows in skyscrapers. It doesn’t make them happen. Have you actually SEEN carp uprooting plants and stirring up sediment? Once again, videos of their behaviour are available on youtube. You can see that they’re NOT stirring up sediment. No imagination required..

Disinformation said :

breda said :

Kewl. One of the reasons the water is so murky is because the bloody carp stir up the bottom all the time, digging around for food.

Actually, that’s not quite correct, but the anticarpers like to promote it. Carp exist in other areas of the world in water with incredible visibility.

So why is Googong clear and LBG murky? They have the same substrate. One has carp one does not.

HOLY CARP!

I think I saw the Oscar!

#6 Disinformation:

From the NSW Dept of Primary Industry site, re carp:

http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries/pests-diseases/freshwater-pests/species/carp/general-information

“Feeding: Carp are omnivorous, and their diet varies depending on what is available. They consume a range of small food items such as molluscs, crustaceans, insect larvae and seeds. These food items are sucked up (along with mud and water) from the bottom and filtered out using the gill rakers.”

and

“Carp contribute to poor water quality by uprooting vegetation and stirring up sediments during feeding, leading to increased turbidity.

This in turn reduces light penetration, which can make it difficult for native fish that rely on sight to feed. Reduced light can also decrease plant growth, and suspended sediments can smother plants and clog fishes’ gills.”

It is true that carp are not the only reason for turbid water, but they definitely contribute significantly to it. Imagine the destruction one of those monster ones could wreak on the bed of the lake in a day’s digging around, by uprooting plants and stirring up sediment.

Gungahlin Al4:40 pm 02 May 11

Well we know where to go for some non-food-gathering sport fishing (while reciting “feel the serenity”…

EvanJames said :

p1 said :

…then a stick of gelignite will get rid of a bunch at once.

… and the dam wall…

Maybe. Maybe not. There is only one way to find out for sure?

p1 said :

…then a stick of gelignite will get rid of a bunch at once.

… and the dam wall…

Disinformation3:00 pm 02 May 11

breda said :

Kewl. One of the reasons the water is so murky is because the bloody carp stir up the bottom all the time, digging around for food.

Actually, that’s not quite correct, but the anticarpers like to promote it. Carp exist in other areas of the world in water with incredible visibility. You’ll note that waterways WITHOUT carp in Australia still look like murky crap. The fact that Australia is a dirt based riverbed is what causes most clarity issues. The lake is bad at present because of the water movement. It will settle down in winter and underwater videos will improve..

Swaggie said :

A couple of dead Chooks hung from the damn wall will have the Carp congregating underneath them after a week or so..plenty of submarines for the camera if they try it then.

…then a stick of gelignite will get rid of a bunch at once.

Looks a lot like my first colonoscopy.

Kewl. One of the reasons the water is so murky is because the bloody carp stir up the bottom all the time, digging around for food.

A Nobel Prize should be awarded to anyone who can find a silver bullet that gets rid of the horrible things from inland waters.

Pretty cool, great flathead bait & its Griffin, not Griffen.

A couple of dead Chooks hung from the damn wall will have the Carp congregating underneath them after a week or so..plenty of submarines for the camera if they try it then.

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