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Freshwater Shooting Live inland, away from the ocean? Tell us about freshwater hunting here.

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Old 03-12-2013, 10:40 AM   #1
OutdoorCatholic
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Post Carp Disposal Discussion

There has been controversy recently with disposing of trash fish (mainly Carp) and I wanted to start a thread discussing the matter. As I'm sure we can all agree, leaving a bunch of dead, bloated fish sitting around or floating in lakes and rivers doesn't make for a very good impression on the general public. In particular, out-of-town spearos blasting bunches of carp poses a dilemma in that you're not clear on how/where to dispose of all of this fish and definitely don't want to put it in the rental car.

Carp is a unique fish in that it is very common in freshwater bodies, is invasive, is barely edible, and is really big. Averaging around 7-10 lbs in many water bodies and getting up to 40 lbs, Carp are a pretty darn big fish. Relative to other well known invasives like Roi or Lionfish, they're huge and unlike those two, they're terrible table fare.

Here I'll discuss some pros and cons of various methods and would like to get your feedback regarding Carp disposal:

Methods:
  1. Hiding fish in bushes
    • Advantage: Fast and easy. No real organization or planning needed.
    • Disadvantage: Likely for it to be discovered when someone's dog finds and proceeds to roll in the fish. Technically illegal most places.
  2. Throwing fish away
    • Advantage: More often legal/less complicated.
    • Disadvantage: Nasty and doesn't leave a good impression when people see a bunch of whole stinking fish in the communal trash.
  3. Donating fish
    • Advantage: Good use of resources/most community friendly.
    • Disadvantage: Complicated, not practical for out of towners.
  4. Sinking fish
    • Advantage: Out of site, out of mind/easy.
    • Disadvantage: Seemingly unreliable.

I want to expand on the sinking point: There have been multiple documented cases (and I have seen this for myself) of big dead carp floating after their swim bladder was punctured. Perhaps they were not punctured properly, perhaps their body cavities fill with gas and they float later, but I'm very interested in experiences and techniques to ensure that fish are disposed of in a manner that doesn't hurt public perception of us.

Thanks,
Michael †

Last edited by OutdoorCatholic; 03-12-2013 at 01:55 PM.
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Old 03-12-2013, 11:02 AM   #2
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Re: Carp Disposal Discussion

Compost? Seems like the best. Maybe get a commercial license to sell them?
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Old 03-12-2013, 11:11 AM   #3
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Re: Carp Disposal Discussion

This thread is gonna get really good. I can just feel it when a good thread is made. I don't want to be pre judgmental about the killing and immediate disposal of a fish you don't intend to keep or eat, but isn't there any fish that are edible to kill on these trips? Maybe chum up the carp on site and make a feeding frenzy that might attract some food fish? That's what we do in the saltwater.

Maybe create a CL post locally and offer it as natural compost or cat/dog food? We feed wahoo scraps to my buddies cat and fish scraps is all my per turtle eats.
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Old 03-12-2013, 11:25 AM   #4
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Re: Carp Disposal Discussion

Somebody here mentioned their dogs won't eat them ...but I have used carp for years to augment my dogs' food. They love 'em and good for them . The compost idea is also a good one.
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Old 03-12-2013, 12:11 PM   #5
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Re: Carp Disposal Discussion

Quote:
Originally Posted by Aaron Proffitt+ View Post
Somebody here mentioned their dogs won't eat them ...but I have used carp for years to augment my dogs' food. They love 'em and good for them . The compost idea is also a good one.
Do you feed them whole, filet them out, smoke them first, store them in the freezer and thaw as needed? Keep in mind too that I'm also particularly interested in methods for out of towners. In-town folks have a lot more options than folks traveling in to spear.
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Old 03-12-2013, 12:21 PM   #6
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Re: Carp Disposal Discussion

I freeze mine...but here's another option. Contact a bird of prey rescue center. Eagles and hawks eat tons of fish.
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Old 03-12-2013, 01:15 PM   #7
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Re: Carp Disposal Discussion

Can you sink then with a rock
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Old 03-12-2013, 01:43 PM   #8
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Re: Carp Disposal Discussion

Killian, the purpose of shooting carp is that they are the only legal fish to spear in some areas, and considered invasive/nuisance species in most freshwater. These are the ONLY fish that most hook and line fishermen don't get upset about being speared. I believe the OP is researching for disposal of them after tournaments.

Our local Raptor Rescue program will accept any type of fish. Except carp.

Our local Wolf Rescue program will accept any type of fish. Except carp.

What about a large crawfish trap type of cage? The locals would have to provide it, but it would be a way to keep the carp nutrients in the micro-ecosystem, and prevent them from refloating. A side benefit would be a natural attractant for predatory fish eating the scavengers dining on the carp.
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Old 03-12-2013, 01:53 PM   #9
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Re: Carp Disposal Discussion

The best option I have seen is where they have a dumpster/ Trailer for the event the trash fish go in then it is hauled off right away.

And as far as the swim blatters go I have seen them float you almost need to compleatly rip them open and make sure to take them to the main channel and not just huck them in from the shore.

Killian, Chumming in most fresh water areas is a big no no. unless at powell where you can use sardines that you buy at the marina. But I have quarted some carp and set my crawdad traps with that.
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Old 03-12-2013, 01:53 PM   #10
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Re: Carp Disposal Discussion

To clarify, I would like this discussion to keep in mind both tournaments and purely recreational trips. Say I take a long road trip and shoot 15 decent carp, what then do I do with them? This seems to be a very common scenario and I have personally used various methods. Sinking seems to be widely accepted but I keep hearing about/seeing that sunk fish often times don't stay sunk and end up washing up on shore/floating later.
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Old 03-12-2013, 01:54 PM   #11
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Re: Carp Disposal Discussion

chumsickle?
Garden fertilizer?

I have ground fish carcasses in the past with a modified wood chipper. Makes a good chumsickle, and can be used to return nutrients to moving water for dispersal. The problem comes when a small area of bottom is used to the point the food supply overwhelms the scavenger population. Disposal into fast moving water (think tidal flows on the coast) changes the dynamic by dispersing over a much larger area.
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Old 03-12-2013, 02:12 PM   #12
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Re: Carp Disposal Discussion

Sorry. Keep missing the 'out of towners' part. No idea. I always find something to do with them, but it requires transporting them home.
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Old 03-12-2013, 02:42 PM   #13
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Re: Carp Disposal Discussion

It looks like some municipalities near afflicted bodies of water have or may be developing disposal options. Have you already tried contacting the Fish & Wildlife or county environmental officials for the areas you hunt?
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Old 03-12-2013, 03:52 PM   #14
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Re: Carp Disposal Discussion

What a waste from most who toss them....Simply find an Asian community and offer them what you have, they will more than likely be happy to use them up. I give probably over 700+lbs to them every year as well as many great tent people in oure downtown area.....find a homeless area and do the same!
Great bait for trappers and killer fertilizer for the home garden.
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Old 03-12-2013, 03:58 PM   #15
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Re: Carp Disposal Discussion

I fillet them out and feed them to my dogs few bones as possible then toss the rest in my garden. I was raised don't shoot anything you don't plan on using so I'm not one who just shoots a sh!t load of them.
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