Let’s Make Some Noise
During a Costa FLW Series event on
the Ohio River out of Paducah a few years
ago, some contestants fishing the
Smithland Pool’s backwaters reported
Asian carp – probably the silver variety –
suddenly leaping out of the water around
them every time they turned on their
trolling motors. Asian carp don’t like sud-
den loud noises or commotion, which is
why they jump out of the water. Could
this be a weakness to exploit? Fishery
managers hope so, which is why they’re
beginning to test “sound barriers.”
This fall, a sound barrier will be
installed in the lock at Barkley Dam,
whose tailwaters are teeming with carp
waiting patiently to catch a ride
upstream. The idea is to blare various
obnoxious sounds through the water
when a barge or a boat locks through to
see if it chases the carp away.
Sounds like a plan – the latest in a
long line of plans. If it’s successful, it will
mark one of those rare occurrences
where something intended to steer
nature in a certain direction actually
works. If it doesn’t work, then here’s
another mess for your grandkids – and
their grandkids – to clean up.
the carp are bigger on average – and a lot
of it wound up as ersatz crab meat or fish
sticks and such. It’s just the sheer mass
of carp that netters are dealing with that
makes the effort so daunting. Biologists
think that the commercial harvest will
have to be doubled to 5 million pounds a
year to put a dent in the carp population
in Kentucky Lake country alone.
§
°
°
6I
I
G
X
I
h
h
°
/
°
/
°
/
°
\
G
I
X
h
°
§
°
°
E
\
X
\
g
h
\
\
Y
\
\
Y
°
-
qQ
Y
D
<
Q
j
°
,
Q
O
O
I
G
2
JULY 2018 I FLWFISHING.COM
17