A species of fish will soon be eradicated from the lake in Paducah’s Noble Park. Shad is a native baitfish common to reservoirs across Kentucky and is prone to disturbing the populations of bass and bluegill, which coordinator of the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife FINs program Dane Balsman said are the species people want to keep in small lakes. Balsman said though a few other fish might be lost in the process, the use of the chemical Rotenone will only eradicate the Shad.
"The way it works is it actually blocks the way fish takes oxygen into their gills. The shad are particularly susceptible to it, so we do a much smaller dose to eradicate only the shad." Balsman said.
Balsman said the chemical used is not harmful to humans, but warns people to not consume dead fish found in the lake. He said his team will be removing dead fish as part of their efforts. However, he said it’s still safe to fish in the waters and consume fish still living after the eradication process has started.