Can grass carp be used effectively to control for aquatic plants in Maryland ponds?
No. The use of grass carp in Maryland is ILLEGAL. It is true that they have been used successfully to control aquatic plants in ponds throughout most of the country. However, the escapement of grass carp from ponds to the Chesapeake Bay would have negative effects on the environment. Management concerns center around this fishs ability to consume large amounts of vegetation in light of the States efforts to restore grass beds throughout Marylands portion of the Bay. What is the first step a pond owner should do before using an aquatic herbicide to control for aquatic plants? Properly identify the plant. There are 12 steps that a pond owner should follow when using an herbicide to control for aquatic plants. The first step is the proper identification of the plant to be controlled. Misidentification can lead to the use of the wrong herbicide, which in turn could have detrimental environmental and economic affects. The most common mistakes are incorrectly identifying filamentous algae as
