Wildlife officials capture hundreds of invasive carp in Mississippi River

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Conservationists have captured hundreds of invasive carp from the Mississippi River near Trempealeau, Wisconsin.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced Friday that officials caught 296 silver carp, 23 grass carp and four bighead carp on Nov. 30 in what the agency called the largest haul of invasive carp in Minnesota to date.

Agency officials said the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources tracked six tagged invasive carp in that part of the river this week, leading officials to larger schools moving upstream. Sightings from commercial fishermen also helped officials locate the fish.

The carp were imported to the US in the 1960s and 1970s to help rid southern aquaculture farms of algae, weeds and parasites. Escaping through flooding and accidental spills, they found their way to the Mississippi River and used it as a superhighway to spread north to rivers and streams in the center of the country.

Carp are voracious eaters – adult bigheads and silverfish can consume up to 40% of their body weight per day – and easily compete with native species, wreaking havoc on aquatic ecosystems. There are no firm estimates of invasive carp populations in the US, but the numbers are believed to be in the millions.

Conservationists are fighting to keep them out of the Great Lakes and protect the region's $7 billion fishing industry.

Grace Loppnow, Minnesota DNR's invasive carp coordinator, said the large number caught on Nov. 30 is concerning, but it is likely they moved upriver and did not hatch in Minnesota waters.