02/20/2026
🐟 Let’s Clean Up Our Waters, Grayville! 🐟
Calling all fishermen, river rats, and conservationists! We all know the Wabash River is a local treasure, but the invasive Asian Carp (now often called "Copi") are taking over. They are crowding out our native catfish, buffalo and frankly, they’re a hazard to anyone out on a boat.
I’m looking to see if there is interest in putting together a local crew to start a serious harvesting effort in the oxbows connected to Bumpass Creek and other known "hot spots" along our stretch of the Wabash.
🎣 How Commercial Harvesting Works
Since Asian Carp are filter feeders, you can't just catch them with a rod and reel. To make a real dent in the population, we use professional methods like:
The "Unified Method": This involves using noise (like revving boat engines) and mild electric currents to herd the fish from large areas into a localized "pen" or net.
Commercial Gill Nets: Heavy-duty, deep nets (usually 7-ply or 8-ply) designed to withstand the weight of fish that can reach 50+ lbs.
Seining: Using massive nets to surround entire schools in the oxbows, which is incredibly effective during the cooler months when the fish congregate.
💰 Turn "Trash" into Cash
This isn't just about cleaning the river—it's a legitimate side hustle or business opportunity.
Subsidies & Incentives: Currently, programs in our region can pay between $0.10 to $0.15 per pound as an incentive just for the removal.
The Market: Harvested fish are sold for everything from high-end fillets (Copi) to organic fertilizer, pet food, and lobster bait.
The Potential: A successful commercial crew can pull in thousands of pounds in a single day. In some intensive harvests, crews have hauled in over 20,000 lbs in a day—you do the math!
🛑 Why Now?
The oxbows near Bumpass Creek are perfect breeding grounds. If we hit them hard now, we can protect our native ecosystem and make some good money doing it.
Interested? Drop a comment below or shoot me a DM. Let’s see if we can get a boat or two out there and start taking our river back!
