Three of the notoriously invasive Asian grass carp have been found in the waters around the Toronto Island marina this week.
The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority say two of the Asian carp were caught while they were monitoring fish species in the area on Sept 1. A third fish was found late the next day in the same area. One of the fish was a female.
The TRCA say the carp, which weighed between 24 and 36 pounds, were immediately sent to a laboratory in Burlington for further investigation.
Since the discovery of the Asian carp, the TRCA have sent out crews with trap net boats to conduct coordinated searches and determine if there are more in the area.
"There's no evidence at all of an established population. There's no evidence of spawning," Fisheries and Oceans Canada program manager Becky Cudmore told CTV Toronto on Friday.
In late July, sightings of two Asian grass carp in a Toronto pond prompted the "biggest response in Canada to date" from Fisheries and Oceans Canada against the invasive species.
South of the border, the Asian grass carp have been known to push out the native species, destroy commercial fishing nets and ruining wetland habitats.
The TRCA says it is too early to determine where the Asian carp are coming from or what potential ecological impact they may have.
