Three Asian Grass Carp have been found in Lake Ontario around the Toronto Islands, bringing the total number of the invasive species found in the area this year to five.
The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority says its staff caught two of the carp on Tuesday and the third on Wednesday, all in the waters around the Toronto Islands marina.
The carp were sent to a Fisheries and Oceans Canada laboratory in Burlington for further investigation. The first fish found was 23 pounds, the second weighed 36 pounds and the third was 20 pounds.
The TRCA says crews are now conducting co-ordinated searches for Asian Grass Carp in the area.
Asian carp are notorious for gutting North American ecosystems with their prolific breeding and voracious consumption of other species' natural habitats.
The fish, which include the silver, bighead, grass and black species, have previously invaded the Mississippi river and replaced its native species, prompting the U.S. government to launch a $60-million plan this year to detect and prevent them from spreading to the Great Lakes.
In 2012, the federal government allocated $17.5 million over five years to prevent Asian carp from reaching Canadian waterways.
The Ontario government considers Asian carp, which can reach more than 40 kilograms in weight and one metre in length, one of the greatest threats to the Great Lakes.
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