Menace to boaters, other fish

The Kansas City Star: The Asian carp that knocked a Texas kayaker out of the Missouri River 340 race serves as a warning to everyone heading down to the Big Muddy these days.

Be prepared to duck.

The large, silver fish, often 15 to 20 pounds, are flipping out of the water like popcorn from an uncovered pot. As a fish and wildlife employee noted, “those things can kill you.”

Especially for anyone in a boat on the river, it pays to watch out for them. There are tales of dozens at a time ripping from the water through the air, up and over boats.

Beyond boater safety, the Asian carp are a menace, and a lesson in why it’s not wise to mess with nature’s design. The fish were first introduced in Arkansas in an effort to control plankton and algae on ponds. But the carp consume enough to decimate local food supplies, and after leapfrogging into nearby waterways, they began pushing out native species. They now appear almost unstoppable as they move through America’s major rivers, including the Missouri. There’s great fear that they may take over the Great Lakes.