This invasive species of fish has established itself in parts of Mississippi River basin
December 15, 2022
Southern Illinois University-led research has found an established population of black carp in parts of the Mississippi River basin, according to a Dec. 13 U.S. Geological Survey announcement.
The study was authored by SIU, the USGS, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Missouri State University and the Missouri Department of Conservation. Researchers examined black carp captured between May 2011 and September 2018 for size, age, their environments and whether they were reproduced in controlled settings or the wild.
Black carp are invasive in North America, and the USGS study was the first to identify an established population, or one that is naturally reproducing and living to adulthood, anywhere in the U.S.
The species can reach more than 3 feet long and can harm important components of the ecosystem.
“They prey on species such as snails and mussels and pose a risk to many already imperiled native mussels in this region,” the USGS statement reads.
Mussels improve water quality by filtering out algae, bacteria and pollutants and they also provide nutrition for other species, according to USGS.
It’s currently unclear how the population managed to establish itself in the river’s basin, as the use of black carp in such an environment is regulated and requires permits.
“This study finds that in the area examined, wild black carp have naturally reproduced, there are multiple ages present, carp are living to adulthood and the population primarily consists of fertile fish that are capable of reproducing,” Patrick Kroboth, a research fish biologist with the USGS and co-author on the study, said in the USGS statement. “This suggests that the environment has suitable conditions for black carp’s entire life cycle.”
What to know about fishing for black carp
Black carp are native to eastern Asia and were introduced to the U.S. in the 1970s to 1980s in imported, contaminated grass carp stocks that were shipped to private fish farms, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources used to offer a $100 bounty for those in the Land of Lincoln and surrounding areas who turned in black carp “cold on ice (not alive).”
Country music radio station WKDQ reported there is no longer funding for the bounty program as of July.
While the bounty is no longer available, IDNR asks fishers to bring dead black carp on ice to a natural resource agent. If you find a black carp while fishing in the Mississippi, Illinois, Ohio or Wabash rivers, the agency asks you to report it to one of the following during normal business hours:
IDNR at 618-462-0362 or 217-557-0719
SIU at 618-453-6089
USGS at 573-876-1866
Live possession of black carp is illegal. IDNR asks fishers to humanely kill black carp.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/invasive-species-f...40458.html
December 15, 2022
Southern Illinois University-led research has found an established population of black carp in parts of the Mississippi River basin, according to a Dec. 13 U.S. Geological Survey announcement.
The study was authored by SIU, the USGS, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Missouri State University and the Missouri Department of Conservation. Researchers examined black carp captured between May 2011 and September 2018 for size, age, their environments and whether they were reproduced in controlled settings or the wild.
Black carp are invasive in North America, and the USGS study was the first to identify an established population, or one that is naturally reproducing and living to adulthood, anywhere in the U.S.
The species can reach more than 3 feet long and can harm important components of the ecosystem.
“They prey on species such as snails and mussels and pose a risk to many already imperiled native mussels in this region,” the USGS statement reads.
Mussels improve water quality by filtering out algae, bacteria and pollutants and they also provide nutrition for other species, according to USGS.
It’s currently unclear how the population managed to establish itself in the river’s basin, as the use of black carp in such an environment is regulated and requires permits.
“This study finds that in the area examined, wild black carp have naturally reproduced, there are multiple ages present, carp are living to adulthood and the population primarily consists of fertile fish that are capable of reproducing,” Patrick Kroboth, a research fish biologist with the USGS and co-author on the study, said in the USGS statement. “This suggests that the environment has suitable conditions for black carp’s entire life cycle.”
What to know about fishing for black carp
Black carp are native to eastern Asia and were introduced to the U.S. in the 1970s to 1980s in imported, contaminated grass carp stocks that were shipped to private fish farms, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources used to offer a $100 bounty for those in the Land of Lincoln and surrounding areas who turned in black carp “cold on ice (not alive).”
Country music radio station WKDQ reported there is no longer funding for the bounty program as of July.
While the bounty is no longer available, IDNR asks fishers to bring dead black carp on ice to a natural resource agent. If you find a black carp while fishing in the Mississippi, Illinois, Ohio or Wabash rivers, the agency asks you to report it to one of the following during normal business hours:
IDNR at 618-462-0362 or 217-557-0719
SIU at 618-453-6089
USGS at 573-876-1866
Live possession of black carp is illegal. IDNR asks fishers to humanely kill black carp.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/invasive-species-f...40458.html
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