On Thursday, September 17, 2015, a commercial fisherman had an interesting find when he pulled a grass carp from his net in Lake Erie. He found a grass carp, which is a species of the Asian carp that feeds on aquatic vegetation.
The grass carp was caught west of Point Pelee Thursday morning and weighed-in around 23 pounds (10.5 kilograms), however, they have been known to grow upwards of 99 pounds (45 kilograms).
The grass carp was sent to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in Burlington for testing. Once there, specific testing will be done to include whether the fish was fertile or sterile. Experts believe this was a freak occurrence. Hugh MacIssac, Canada Research Chair in Aquatic Invasive Species, believes if large numbers of grass carp were present, they would turn up in nets more often due to the large amount of commercial fishing done on the lake.
Fish could reach the lake naturally or by someone releasing them. This is not the first carp caught in Lake Erie. Another grass carp was caught in 1985, also in Point Pelee. Several other grass carps were caught in surrounding areas over the years. All of which were sterile.