Carp Venues Facing Multiple Threats in RI

 Many of the carp fishing waters in RI are facing multiple threats right now. They are facing a perfect storm of very low water (drought conditions), very warm water and invasive weed. These three threats are so serious in places that I fear we will be seeing fish kills if the weather does not change fast. We need rain and we need cooler weather.

Here's a summary of the problems:

Here is a section of the Blackstone
Canal in Lincoln.  The water level
is down about 4 feet and almost dry 
in places.  In addition, milfoil, an
invasive weed is out of control in 
spots such as the section above.

1.  Extremely warm water-  My guess is that the water is in the mid 80 degree range in some places due to the heat wave we have been having.  That is way too warm for many freshwater fish although I think carp are more adaptable than most fish.

2. Drought conditions-  I was riding my bike along the Blackstone Canal today.  I have never seen the water so low there.  In places it is no more than inches deep across the whole canal. There is a threat of that place drying up completely in the next couple of weeks if it does not rain soon.  The Blackstone River is also at historic lows right now. Scotts Pond in Lincoln is completely dry in the back and water levels are down about 5 FEET!

3.  Invasive weed- It has completely taken over some places.  I saw a carp pond in Attleboro recently.  There was so much water chestnut there you could not even see the water.  The place looked like a golf course.  Milfoil weed
is doing the same thing in places like the Blackstone Canal. This weed is sucking the oxygen right out of the water. It has never been as bad as this year in places.

This is the back of Scotts Pond. That is sand in the
middle of the photo.  There should be 5 feet of water
in this location.  It is completely dry. Drought is
severely impacting many of the carp waters of this 
state right now.