Carpe Diem: A Fishy Tale
Thursday, October 3, 2013 at 8 PM on CBC-TV
Fishing carp at the Red Neck Fishing Tournament in Bath, Illinois
North America is under attack by a relentless aquatic invader. Accidentally released into the Mississippi River 30 years ago, the Asian Carp have been heading north ever since.
Famous for their insatiable hunger and their Olympic high jumping, Asian Carp are now only 100 kilometers south of Lake Michigan.
Carpe Diem: A Fishy Tale will take viewers on an enlightening odyssey to reveal the many fronts on which this new enemy is being fought, using every means at their disposal: cross bows, electrodes and even water guns. Despite their fascination with this newcomer, scientists on both sides of the Canada/US border agree that the Asian Carp is a threat we need to take seriously. But can they stop the fish before they get into the Great Lakes?
Presently, the only thing stopping the fish from migrating northward is an electric barrier just outside of Chicago. Or is it? The Army Corps of Engineers seem to think so, but environmental DNA of has been found on the wrong side of the barrier, despite their best efforts and resources. This summer, two Asian carp were found in Ontario's Grand River.
Why exactly are these fish considered a threat to Canadian waterways? As we'll discover, the Asian Carp is extraordinarily adaptable: aside from being a very good swimmer and avoiding nets, it out-eats other species and tilts the food chain in its favour, making it difficult for native species to survive.
Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans is on Full Carp Alert. But their enemy is a sly and wily invader with Canadian waters in its sights. Down south, where the battle has been lost, people are starting to see the fish as a resource and are starting to eat it. Is this the answer to this fishy problem?
Carpe Diem: A Fishy Tale is an eye-opening take on the complicated fight against an impressive species of fish which is really just doing what it does best - surviving. But the Asian Carp could change the Great Lakes as we know them. As US aquatic biologist Duane Chapman says "I have kind of a love-hate relationship with these fish. I respect the heck out of them. They are amazing fish. But I just wish they weren't here."
producer
Charlotte Engel
director
Scott Dobson
cinematographer
Russell Gienapp
editor
Carole Larsen
sound
Paul Adlaf
composer
Ken Myhr
writers
Charlotte Engel
Scott Dobson
Charlotte Odele
narrator
David Suzuki
production manager
Nadia Tavazzani
story consultant
Bob Culbert
graphics & animation
Mark Alberts
Andrea Ledwell
researchers
Margy Gilmour
Charlotte Engel
visual researcher
Elizabeth Klinck
additional cinematography
Scott Dobson
Elizabeth Brothers
Paul Adlaf
James Barron
additional sound
Sanjay Mehta
Scott Bell
assistant editor
Sean Kang
post production supervisor
James Hardie
on line editor
Amy Karrandjas
colourist
Mark Driver
in house producer
Jessica MacDonald
dailies transfer
Joseph Murnaghan
re-recording Mixer
Dustin Harris
recording engineer
Ryan Aktari
sound editors
Dustin Harris
Steve Blair
production assistants
Miguel Pantoja
James Barron
Joshua Demers
Josh Harrower
legal counsel
Danny Webber
bookkeeper
Patricia Mundinger
budgeting
Roberta J. Pazdro
transcription
Mark Shyzer
special thanks to:
Alliance for the Great Lakes: Joel Brammeier; Army Corp of Engineers: Lynne E . Whelan, Lt. Colonel Schreiner; Beaver Fisheries; Canal Barge: Del Wilkins & the Windy City crew; DFO Canada: Becky Cudmore, David Marson, Hilary Price, Rosaleen O’Mahony; Fu Yao Supermarket; Illinois River Biological Station: Nerissa Michaels; Ministry of Natural Resources: Matthew Orok, Randy Tippin, Rick Andrews; Peoria Carp Hunters: Nathan Wallick & Ben Wallick; The Red Neck Fishing Tournament: Betty DeFord; Schafer Foods: Mike Schafer, Steven McNitt; South Side Mission: Philip Ward Newton, Meg Newell and Chris Franzoni; USGS Columbia: Duane C. Chapman, Edward E. Little, Robin D. Calfee, Holly Puglis, Elizabeth Brothers, Erinn Beahan, Joe Deters, Katy Klymus; USGS La Crosse: Mark Gaikowski, Jon Amberg.
stills & artwork courtesy of
Dennis Endicott
Joseph Tomerelli
Library of Congress
NASA
film and video footage courtesy of:
Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee
Corbis Motion
Getty Images
Guillaume Saindon
Joseph Tomelleri
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Peoria Carp Hunters
NBC Universal Archives
Norfolk County Tourism & Rainey Media
Parks Canada
T3Media
United States Geological Survey
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