06-27-2008, 01:51 PM
[cool][#0000ff]There has been some talk of shipping Utah Lake carp to Iraq, as part of the Utah Lake "makeover" program. But, it seems like the rising costs of fuel are making even that idea too costly. Here is an article that appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune today.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff](Maybe we can just tuck a few thousand into the next box we send to Kochanut and the boys.)[/#0000ff]
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Utah Lake
Official: Harvesting carp not profitable
[url "mailto:dmeyers@sltrib.com?subject=Salt Lake Tribune: Official: Harvesting carp not profitable"]By Donald W. Meyers
The Salt Lake Tribune[/url]
Article Last Updated: 06/27/2008 12:42:48 AM MDT
PROVO - While there is worldwide demand for carp, commercial fishermen would likely need a financial incentive to harvest the fish from Utah Lake, a water official said Thursday.
Michael D. Mills, June Sucker recovery program coordinator for the Central Utah Water Conservancy District, delivered that message Thursday to the Utah Lake Commission. He said the state likely would have to offer a subsidy to get people to come and remove the invasive fish in large enough quantities to give the June sucker a fighting chance at recovery.
The reason: supply and demand, combined with high fuel prices.
Taking all the the carp from the freshwater lake "would exceed the national demand," Mills said, thus making the harvest unprofitable.
While there is a thriving international carp market - the fish sells for as much as $4 a pound in Iraq, where it is considered a staple - increased fuel costs make that arrangement prohibitive, Mills said.
The state did receive an inquiry from a humanitarian group, MN Direct Trade. It wants to harvest carp for shipment to Iraq. The group was having trouble lining up investors, Mills said.
The presence in Utah Lake of a large carp population threatens the June sucker, which is only found there. Carp destroys the native fish's habitat and the vegetation that reduces silt and algae in the lake, according to Rick Cox, project manager for San Francisco-based URS Corp.
His company is drafting a new lake master plan.
Cox said Utah Lake is still a gem worth preserving, noting that it's not as badly polluted as other bodies of water.
"If this lake were in Texas, you would have million-dollar homes built around it," he said.
dmeyers@sltrib.com
What's next:
* Utah Lake consultants and lake commissioners have scheduled a July 9 public workshop on the lake's master plan. The draft document is expected to be completed by November.
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[#0000ff](Maybe we can just tuck a few thousand into the next box we send to Kochanut and the boys.)[/#0000ff]
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Utah Lake
Official: Harvesting carp not profitable
[url "mailto:dmeyers@sltrib.com?subject=Salt Lake Tribune: Official: Harvesting carp not profitable"]By Donald W. Meyers
The Salt Lake Tribune[/url]
Article Last Updated: 06/27/2008 12:42:48 AM MDT
PROVO - While there is worldwide demand for carp, commercial fishermen would likely need a financial incentive to harvest the fish from Utah Lake, a water official said Thursday.
Michael D. Mills, June Sucker recovery program coordinator for the Central Utah Water Conservancy District, delivered that message Thursday to the Utah Lake Commission. He said the state likely would have to offer a subsidy to get people to come and remove the invasive fish in large enough quantities to give the June sucker a fighting chance at recovery.
The reason: supply and demand, combined with high fuel prices.
Taking all the the carp from the freshwater lake "would exceed the national demand," Mills said, thus making the harvest unprofitable.
While there is a thriving international carp market - the fish sells for as much as $4 a pound in Iraq, where it is considered a staple - increased fuel costs make that arrangement prohibitive, Mills said.
The state did receive an inquiry from a humanitarian group, MN Direct Trade. It wants to harvest carp for shipment to Iraq. The group was having trouble lining up investors, Mills said.
The presence in Utah Lake of a large carp population threatens the June sucker, which is only found there. Carp destroys the native fish's habitat and the vegetation that reduces silt and algae in the lake, according to Rick Cox, project manager for San Francisco-based URS Corp.
His company is drafting a new lake master plan.
Cox said Utah Lake is still a gem worth preserving, noting that it's not as badly polluted as other bodies of water.
"If this lake were in Texas, you would have million-dollar homes built around it," he said.
dmeyers@sltrib.com
What's next:
* Utah Lake consultants and lake commissioners have scheduled a July 9 public workshop on the lake's master plan. The draft document is expected to be completed by November.
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