Area and Issues picture from google maps
![Picture](/uploads/6/0/0/4/6004688/2153367.jpg?308)
Environment
The natural environment is a wetland (Cherokee Marsh), river (Yahara and Token Creek), and lake (Lake Mendota). The estuary where Cherokee Marsh and Lake Mendota meet is also a marina with over 250 public slips between Skipper Buds (150) and Mazanet Marina (100). I estimate Westport Marine also has close to 100 slips as well.
Issues of Area
The water body is quite shallow and rarely gets over a 1.5 meter depth. Shoreline erosion and wetland degradation has been a concern for many years. Carp can be seen on a regular basis emerging from the water. Since Carp are bottom feeders they are constantly digging into the sediments in search of food. The resuspension of sediments increases the rate of internal nutrient loading causing the water to become turbid. This decreases the levels of light that is able to penetrate to the bottom and stimulate plant growth. There are relatively large areas of submerged and emerged vegetation around Cherokee Marsh, but over the years the vegetation along the shoreline has been receding. Large areas of vegetation have even broken off and floated downstream toward Lake Mendota. The sediments that are resuspended also eventually find their way into the Marina where they collect and require expensive dredging efforts to deepen the channel to levels necessary for recreational and commercial navigation. Carp are not the only cause for the resuspension of sediments, increased levels of water flow from increased frequency of intense rain events have an undesirable effect as well.
If the Carp stay in the Middle Bay where they are presently huddled (as of December 2010) I believe that commercial fishermen will be summoned to the area. The fishermen will then deploy ROV's to net them under the ice, much like what was done in Lake Wingra a few years ago.
The natural environment is a wetland (Cherokee Marsh), river (Yahara and Token Creek), and lake (Lake Mendota). The estuary where Cherokee Marsh and Lake Mendota meet is also a marina with over 250 public slips between Skipper Buds (150) and Mazanet Marina (100). I estimate Westport Marine also has close to 100 slips as well.
Issues of Area
The water body is quite shallow and rarely gets over a 1.5 meter depth. Shoreline erosion and wetland degradation has been a concern for many years. Carp can be seen on a regular basis emerging from the water. Since Carp are bottom feeders they are constantly digging into the sediments in search of food. The resuspension of sediments increases the rate of internal nutrient loading causing the water to become turbid. This decreases the levels of light that is able to penetrate to the bottom and stimulate plant growth. There are relatively large areas of submerged and emerged vegetation around Cherokee Marsh, but over the years the vegetation along the shoreline has been receding. Large areas of vegetation have even broken off and floated downstream toward Lake Mendota. The sediments that are resuspended also eventually find their way into the Marina where they collect and require expensive dredging efforts to deepen the channel to levels necessary for recreational and commercial navigation. Carp are not the only cause for the resuspension of sediments, increased levels of water flow from increased frequency of intense rain events have an undesirable effect as well.
If the Carp stay in the Middle Bay where they are presently huddled (as of December 2010) I believe that commercial fishermen will be summoned to the area. The fishermen will then deploy ROV's to net them under the ice, much like what was done in Lake Wingra a few years ago.