LOUISVILLE – Hundreds of unwanted invaders to the area were recently removed with the hope that normal activity will return in a year or two.
The historic floods of 2019, besides causing so much property damage, also brought in undesirable fish from the Platte River to Lakes 1 and 1A at the Louisville State Recreation Area.
Approximately 300 unwanted silver and bighead carp, each weighing about 15 pounds, were found in Lake 1A that’s only about an acre in size.
“It was amazing to have that kind of density,” said Jeff Jackson, an official with Nebraska Game and Parks. “It was packed full of those fish. I was surprised.”
Since these fish filter plankton from the water, they severely limited other fish species in the lake and were difficult for anglers to catch, Jackson said.
That lake was treated early last week with rotenone, a toxicant used to eliminate fish by making it difficult to take in oxygen through the gills so they can’t breathe, according to Jackson.
That treatment was also used this past Monday on the larger Lake 1 that had big- and small-mouth buffalo fish with similar traits to the carp, he added.
However, there weren’t nearly as many of those fish compared to those in Lake 1A, Jackson said.
Unfortunately, the removal treatment did eliminate some of the other species that live in those lakes, but officials did salvage as many of those as possible, Jackson said.
The other three lakes at the recreation area were not impacted like the other two and treatment was not needed, he added.
Fish stockings will begin in the next few weeks to Lakes 1 and 1A that will include largemouth bass, bluegill and channel catfish, said Jackson, southeast fisheries supervisor.
It may take a year or two before good fishing will return to those lakes, according to Jackson, but it will be worth the wait.
“It will make fishing 10 times better than what it has been now,” he said.
Funding for this project was provided by Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration.
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September 16, 2020 at 01:30AM
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Unwanted fish removed from Louisville lakes | News - Fremont Tribune
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