GRASS CARP UPDATE - BAY OF QUINTE

[Nittro]

Here is a summary of the facts as of today September 18:



· On the morning of September 14, 2015 a single Grass Carp was captured in the Bay of Quinte in eastern Lake Ontario by a commercial fishing vessel in a trap net. The fish was 1.04 m long and weighed 12.7 kg.

· The fish was turned over to MNRF’s Lake Ontario Management Unit at the Glenora Fisheries Station. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) was notified and the fish was transported to their Asian Carp lab in Burlington for further analysis.

· MNRF deployed two electrofishing boats to the site where the fish was captured (one from Lake Ontario and another from Lake Erie).

· DFO assisted with netting.

· The fish found in the Bay of Quinte was determined by DFO to be a triploid (sterile fish).

· The combined effort over three days amounted to 232 staff hours on the water with an additional 144 hours of fishing effort with trap nets

· No additional Grass Carp were found in the area.

· The Lake Ontario Management Unit will continue to monitor the situation through the regular Bay of Quinte fisheries assessment program including the commercial fishery.

· The responsibility for taking action with regards to Asian carp is shared between our ministry and Fisheries and Oceans Canada through a coordinated, muti-jurisdictional approach that was developed to ensure a rapid response can be deployed in the most efficient manner possible, while maximizing the expertise ‎and resources within each organization.



Thank you for your continued service.



Andy Todd

Manager, Lake Ontario Management Unit

Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry

Glenora Fisheries Station

41 Hatchery LN Picton Ontario K0K 2T0

Office: 613-476-3147

[e-mail]