Kids have enjoyed the guaranteed fun of finding these nasty, ignorant specimens washing ashore. Now their fun may be curtailed.
Carp, the ugly, smelly, big-ass fish that you always see floating atop the water attracting flies, leeches, and scumsuckers, may be a thing of the past.
Fisherman are accidently snagging the dead fish, and now the top-floating "nastards" gather flies and birds by laying on the land instead of the water. Not only does this practice make for a cleaner fishing environment, it's great entertainment for fishermen with children- as the young ones can marvel at how fast a fat, dead fish can turn to bones after a few stray animals and insects have their way with them.
"Oh the Osteichthy!" (Anyone? Anyone at all? Too obscure?)
However, environmentalists are concerned that the infamous "floating dead carp" may be a dying breed, and are encouraging fisherman to aim their lures in a different area and let the carp float, smell, and rot.
There has also been a decline in dead bullheads and sheapheads. What would a fishing experience be without a guaranteed catch? Floating sheapheads are usually not completely dead, so snagging them gives the true "catching a fish" experience. There is some fight left in them, so it makes for some fun when the real fish aren't biting.
However, the fishermen aren't throwing the disease-ridden fish back for others to have fun with, and this has caused problems that may involve receiving fines for failure to pollute the rivers with dead or nearly-dead fish.
Tasty morsel or natural disaster?
Contact the local DNR for more information on how to keep our rivers at a more healthy and common level of natural pollution.
