INDIANAPOLIS— Lower-than-normal water levels in Indiana are helping to address at least one problem: Asian carp.
In Southwestern Indiana, the invasive species of fish is being trapped in oxbows and backwater areas that have been cut off from the rivers – especially the Wabash – that usually keep the water in those areas refreshed.
As a result, the Asian carp that prefer to spend most of their lives in those backwaters are finding themselves trapped in tighter spaces, with no ability to get out into the rivers. It's helped slow their assault on native species.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources pointed out the occurrence as less than silver lining, but perhaps a "dull bronze" one amid reports of the harmful impact of the drought and extreme heat on agriculture and wildlife.
"Fish become crowded and the oxygen just goes out of the water. Fish end up dying because the water goes away or the oxygen gets so poor," said Doug Keller, the aquatic habitat coordinator at the DNR's Division of Fish and Wildlife.
He said while it's impossible to pinpoint how many places this has occurred, especially because many of these backwaters are in areas that farmers might not often check, the DNR had been notified of at least two areas where Asian carp had been trapped and were dying.
He said Asian carp prefer to stay in backwater areas, and adults usually swim into rivers to make their spawning runs.
Now, Keller said, "the fish stuck out in the river are stuck out in the river, have to live out in the river. Those that were able to get into those backwater areas are cut off, and they're drying up."
It's one of a handful of positives the DNR recently mentioned. Others include waterfront owners' ability to check manmade features that are usually underwater, an earlier cicadas' singing period and enhanced fishing in Lake Michigan.
"At least Asian carp may not gain an additional competitive advantage over native species this year," said Bill James, chief of fisheries for DNR.
"It might be a year where things kind of hold their own. Species like smallmouth bass tend to have higher reproductive success during low flow years."