A fishing tournament this weekend is intended to remove thousands of pounds of Asian Carp from Illinois waterways.
The invasive fish threaten state ecosystems. Ed DeVries is president of the Bowfishing Association of Illinois. He says the fish grow quickly, and are difficult to catch.
“They will not bite on hook and line. They filter out the small, microscopic plankton out of the water so they are not going to bite on a worm or a minnow like catfish or other hook and line fish, but for bowfishing, they are a perfect species.”
The State Bowfishing Championship will be held on the Illinois River at Matthiessen State Park in Utica. The event is in cooperation with the state Department of Natural Resources. The caught fish are turned into fertilizer. The event had to be delayed a few weeks this year due to flooding.
