June 2018 Pipeline

Invasive Specie
Giant “goldfish” who have the ability to clone themselves have been spotted in
Saskatchewan. Russian Carp look similar to a giant goldfish but are considered to be
an aquatic invasive species in Canada. Their reproductive process is called
gynogenesis and it has made them prolific breeders.
Gynogenesis is a special form of sexual reproduction in which
insemination is necessary but the head of the sperm penetrating
into the ovum does not transform into male pronucleus; and
the gynogenetic embryo develops at the expense of the
ovum nucleus only.
Basically, the carp are clones of the mother.
So How did they
get to Canada?
Prussian carp have been spotted sporadically in
western Saskatchewan for the last few years but those
were always one-off situations.
In May, hundreds of Prussian carp were found dead when the ice
disappeared from Stockwell Lake.
Chris Somers is a biology professor and the University of Regina and he told CBC News
“When you see hundreds of fish that are winter-killed, it usually means
there’s probably thousands that are actually out there.”
The fish is typically found in Eastern Europe and Asia. They were first spotted in Alberta waters in the mid-2000s, Somers said.
The mysterious thing is that no one has been able to pinpoint how they got into prairie waters. One theory is that one
was a pet and got mixed in with a goldfish and was part of a pet release.
Anglers asked NOT to release!
The fish are about five or six pounds and grow to be
about 35 centimetres long.
They are said to be edible, but likely won’t fit
the North American palate.
The fish tend to take over the habitats they enter
and edge out native species, so fishermen are
being asked to kill the carp if they reel any in.