Hundreds of fish ‘fly’ out of lake after being given electric shocks

Asian carp given to anglers in effort to protect native sea life

Hundreds of fish were filmed apparently leaping out of a lake as they were given a huge electricity jolt.

Wildlife officials in Kentucky stunned the Asian carp, which are considered an invasive species, to carry out a study on them and protect native fish stocks.

Stunning temporarily shocks them.

Officials said the carp were threatening the region’s fishing industry by reducing available food for local fish populations.

The footage shows the fish being jolted from Lake Barkley as electrical currents go through the water.

Asian carp, which were introduced to the US four decades ago to control algae and parasites in aquatic farms, have started to dominate the waterways along the Mississippi, as well as the Illinois and Missouri rivers.

Normally, stunned fish are returned to the water but the carp caught at Lake Barkley were given to commercial anglers for sale at markets.

Carp are sensitive to noise, so when a boat motor disturbs the water, the fish naturally leap out of the water, even when they are not stunned with electricity.