SRP Imported Fish Gorging In Canals
By Holliday Moore
Published: Wednesday, January 17, 2018 - 6:16pm
For nearly 30 years, Salt River Project has imported a big headed fish to stay behind the canal gates and organically clean algae growing on the walls.
But when workers began moving the white amur fish last week, SRP spokesman Jeff Lane said they noticed in one particular location, the creatures were consistently a foot or more larger than before.
"Right near the diversion dam, basically the start of the Arizona canal," he said, "that's where more of the algae and the aquatic weeds were relocated, and they've just been feasting in that area."
In some cases, Lane said the fish grew from 30 to 45 inches since they last cleaned the area. But the same phenomenon was not true for the Biltmore area canals.
Don't go getting any ideas to fish there. It's illegal because the white amur is a non-native species, requiring sterilization, and because they're SRP property.