Carp at Lake Mead Marina

Carp are the swarming, splashing beggars of Hemenway Harbor. On any visit to the Lake Mead Marina and Las Vegas Boat Harbor you can be witness to literally hundreds of these popcorn-gobbling carp as they hug the docks, begging for scraps. I snapped this picture alongside one of the docks on a visit to the marina on 02/10/2011. These rather ugly looking fish will eat just about anything thrown at them and even though they are a popular tourist staple, and make money for the marina, they don't do much else for Lake Mead. Check out this related picture which show a mallard surrounded by carp ... Blue Headed Mallard Drake

Background: Though they generally average 3-6 lbs., they can grow to be more than two feet long and thirty plus lbs. The state Fish Commission introduced the species in the 1880s for sport-fishing and eating, but tastes have changed and people just don't fish for them anymore. These overgrown gray goldfish have multiplied to such an abundance, that they now make up a large part of the lake's ecosystem. The fish aren't just concentrated near the shore, but heavily dispersed in the lake. They get too big too fast, so stripers and bass can't eat them. Eighteen-inch carp aren't unusual. Also, they stir up sediment, clouding the water. They feed on vegetation at the bottom of the lake and destructively tear up vegetation in the water that acts as cover for other fish. Even though they're a prevalent force, they have little positive effect on the area.