Booming Populations of Pike

Lake Davis, a California lake close to Reno, Nevada, is being overrun with the invasive northern pike (Esox lucius ), a potential threat to the trout fishery there. According to this article in the Reno Gazette Journal, officials are fighting back by literally blasting the fish out of existence. Starting this spring, when the ice on the lake has begun to melt, a blasting cord will be used to kill the fish with an underwater shockwave. Any trout killed will be replaced. Officials know that this is only a temporary fix, and are looking for a more permanent way of eliminating northern pike from the lake. There is also great concern that the fish will spread to the nearby San Joaquin river delta, where they could impact salmon fisheries. Northern pike, while native to North America, is not native to the west coast. Lake Davis is a man-made lake.