NEWAYGO COUNTY, Mich. — Hess Lake has an algae problem. Fewer carp could be the solution.
On Tuesday, researchers pulled hundreds of the bottom-feeding fish from the shallow Newaygo County lake, recording their length and weight before tossing them into a dumpster with a thud.
The scene looked cruel, but it was for the best.
"In the right place, they're a very fascinating fish," said Cameron Swanson, a fisheries biologist. "At these numbers, they unfortunately need to go."
Swanson works for Carp Solutions, a Minnesota-based company contracted by the Hess Lake Improvement Board to manage its overly large and environmentally harmful carp population.
When foraging for food, carp reduce plant cover and stir up clouds of sediment and nutrients, including phosphorous, the life-giving element that can lead to toxic blue-green algal blooms.
Carp Solutions believes around 12,000 carp currently swim in the lake. Past estimates reached as high as 32,000. Still, they'd like to bring the population down to 5,000, a significant task.
"We have to outwit the carp and we're kind of struggling to do that here," said Swanson, referencing the number of fish from Tuesday.
In total, Swanson and his crew caught and removed 244 carp from the lake, pulling them from traps baited with cracked corn. In July, they caught 396. Hoping for higher numbers, they plan to make one more pass over the lake in August.
After being tossed into a dumpster, the fish are properly disposed of on a nearby property.
In addition to the traps, bluegill, which feed on carp eggs, are being used as a management tool. In June, 8,530 were released into the lake.
Carp Solutions has also implanted more than a hundred carp with radiotelemetry tags so they can track their movement and feeding patterns. If they can understand their migration, they can better target and manage the population.
"There's great joy to seeing the native fish coming back, seeing the vegetation coming back, seeing the water quality improve," Swanson said.
For more on the Hess Lake improvement, click HERE.
