Invasive Carp Threat

A Threat to the environment, the economy and tourism

The spread of invasive species is a significant and immediate threat to the health of waterways and aquatic life throughout the USA.

The Four Species of Invasive Carp

Silver, Bighead, Grass, and Black

Bighead, silver, black and grass carp – previously referred to as Asian carp – have established populations in the Mississippi, Illinois and Ohio rivers. Local, state and federal agencies are therefore working to prevent further expansion that could have catastrophic effects on the Great Lakes.

According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, invasive carp can establish a population within two years of the first individual arriving. They are highly adaptive and spread at rapid rates, with a mature female capable of producing over a million eggs each yea

The Cost of Carp

The economic threat of invasive carp

Invasive carp have no natural predators and consume the resources native fish populations need to survive. Their rapid spread serves to crowd out native species and their impact on freshwater mussels that keep aquatic systems healthy upsets the balance of ecosystems.

These threats go hand in hand with economic challenges and a physical threat to boaters and vessels. The Environmental Protection Agency notes silver carp leaping out of the water have caused injuries to humans that include black eyes, broken bones and concussions.

Recreational fisheries are suffering in many areas as people are discouraged by large volumes of invasive species, which can have a devastating impact on the local economy.

BioAcoustic Fish Fence

Experts state invasive carp as national problem

“The invasion of these carp species is not a Minnesota problem, or even an Upper Mississippi River problem. This is a national problem that is on the brink of becoming an environmental crisis of tremendous significance.”

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Feasibility Study to Limit the Invasion of Asian Carp into the Upper Mississippi River Basin