Contacts
Gerry Jackson, USFWS, 612-713-5111
Kim Bogenschutz, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 515-432-2823
Lee Pfannmuller, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources,
651-296-0783
Ron Benjamin, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 608-785-9012
Last fall, a commercial angler made a troubling discovery:
a bighead carp, netted in Lake Pepin, less than 100 miles from Minneapolis
on the Mississippi River.
A short time later, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and
the Minnesota and Wisconsin Departments of Natural Resources commissioned
a study to identify ways to slow or stop the advance of non-native Asian
carp—of which the bighead is one species—into the Upper Mississippi
River Basin.
The study, conducted by FishPro, a national engineering firm,
concluded that a coordinated and integrated approach will be most successful
in slowing the advance of Asian carp. Deterrents recommended in the report
include physical barriers, technological barriers such as those that use
electricity or acoustics to repel fish, harvest, biological controls, and
chemical controls.
The Fish and Wildlife Service will work with the Minnesota
and Wisconsin DNRs, as well as officials from Iowa and the Army Corps of
Engineers to evaluate the report and propose a series of actions.
“We are working closely with our federal and state partners
to develop a coordinated approach to battle Asian carp, using the entire
arsenal available to us,” said Robyn Thorson, regional director for
the Service’s Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region. “Good science is
key to preventing the spread and reducing the impacts of Asian carp, and
this study is an important piece to the overall solution to reduce carp populations
throughout the Mississippi and Missouri River basins.”
Large populations of voracious Asian carp can reduce populations
of native plants, which are an important staple for native fish, waterfowl
and other species. This can affect regional economies that rely on waterfowl
hunting, fishing and boating.
Asian carp may also pose a risk to human safety. Silver carp
can jump 10 feet out of the water, behavior that has resulted in injuries
to boaters in Illinois and Missouri.
Bighead, silver, grass and black carp all are native to Asia.
Grass carp were first introduced into the United States in 1963; bighead,
silver and black carp appeared in the 1970s. All four species of Asian carp
escaped into the Mississippi River Basin, and all but the black carp are
known to have developed self-sustaining populations there.
Carp such as grass carp can consume up to 40 percent of their
body weight in aquatic plants; other carp species may eat snails, mussels
and other aquatic species. Bighead carp grow to a maximum of 60 inches and
110 pounds simply by consuming microscopic organisms. All Asian carp species
can live up to 30 years.
In the Midwest, the Service is working to monitor and prevent
the spread of aquatic nuisance species through a number of efforts. In May,
resource professionals from across the country will meet to begin developing
an Asian carp management plan that will include strategies to limit the spread
of Asian carp, prevent additional introductions and reduce the impacts of
existing populations. This effort will use assistance from other agencies
and organizations as it develops and implements the management plan.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal
agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife
and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American
people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge
System, which encompasses 544 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small
wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national
fish hatcheries, 63 Fish and Wildlife Management offices and 81 ecological
services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers
the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores
nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat
such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts.
It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds
of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to
state fish and wildlife agencies.
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