What’s Swimming Out There?

In recent years we have tightened up some of our baitfish regulations.  Simply put, in eastern Nebraska, you pretty much cannot collect your own baitfish and use them in any waters other than the water from which they were collected.  Of course, many wonder why we are so restrictive?

Let me tell you that invasive species are a huge threat to our fisheries.  They are such a threat that they can keep a fisheries biologist awake at night.  Without exception, our state fisheries biologists want to do everything possible to prevent the spread of invasive species such as Asian carp.

To illustrate that threat, the Gavins Point National Fish Hatchery came up with a little exercise that made the rounds on FaceBook.  They posted this poster and asked which of these fish were carp?

Now let me tell you that all of those fish are about the same size.  All of them look like “minnows”.  All are found in Nebrsaka’s Missouri River.  Pull a seine through a Missouri River tributary and you likely would catch several of those fish.  Some of them very well could be small Asian carp and we really, really, really, do not want them moved around!

Thus our baitfish restrictions.

Think you know?  Here’s the key: