Attempted ban on bowfishing in Austin Tx

To the City of Austin,

In June of 2004 supporters of Carp Conservation via catch and release, specifically the group American Carp Society http://www.americancarpsociety.com proposed to make Town Lake, located within the incorporated city limits of Austin, a catch and release only carp angling lake. In spite of a long and well documented history of aquatic destruction by the common carp and his cousins this proposal found support in two city council members. Jeb Boyt Chairman of the downtown committee and Vice Chairman of Austin Parks committee. His e-mail is [email protected] Also Cid Galindo from the Austin Planning commission support this measure. His e-mail is [email protected] . This proposal now has a reasonable chance of passing.

We, as citizens, sportsman and conservationists, cannot let this happen. The vast majority of Fisheries research texts, including Petersons Field Guide to Native Fish and the U.S. Geological Surveys Non-Indigenous Species Database list the carp as an invasive species. The Global Invasive Species Database lists the Common Carp on their list of 100 of the Worlds Worst Alien Invasive Species. Literally billions of our tax dollars are spent each year to control and eradicate invasive species throughout our nation. Invasive species cost to the United States' economy is an estimated $123 billion annually and are second only to habitat destruction in threatening extinction of native species. Texas alone spent $20.4 million on Invasive Aquatic Fishes and Invertebrates in 1999. Since 1909-1991, 79 invasive species caused an estimated $97 billion in damage across the U.S. Today those numbers are rapidly climbing with the current bighead carp and silver carp populations steadily increasing.

States literally spend millions of dollars to control their Carp populations. Arkansas recently cleaned up 237 acres of a 1,360 acre lake at an estimated cost of $25,000 and removed over 6,000 carp. Lake Elsinore in California spent over $550,000 during a two-year period to clean up its lake from years of damage caused by carp. In the first year, they spent $129,000. After two years, they removed 124,000 pounds of carp, well over the initial estimate of 80,000-100,000 pounds.

Invasive species in general can have adverse ecological and economic impacts by causing declines in native species and permanently reducing biological diversity. Biologists believe invasive species may be second only to habitat loss as a leading cause of extinction. It has been estimated that 20\% of all freshwater fish species are at risk of becoming extinct in the near future unless the present situation is reversed. So given all these well-known facts, why would the city of Austin take this bad science, bad environmental approach and set up a Carp Sanctuary? Please reconsider this action and instead promote the conservation of the Fishes of the great State of Texas not the invasive exotic Carp.