Speaker : John Lyons

Although dozens of non-native fishes have been introduced in Wisconsin and 16 have become established, only five have reached nuisance levels on a broad scale: common carp, sea lamprey, rainbow smelt, alewife, and round goby.  But these five have caused devastating environmental harm and cost the state economy billions of dollars. I’ll review the case histories of these five species, focusing on their mode of spread, the consequences of their establishment, and attempts at control, and then describe the lessons they provide in terms of dealing with new nonnative fishes. I’ll focus on three high-profile potential invaders, the grass carp, bighead carp, and silver carp, and discuss how we can address the threat they pose to Wisconsin waters.