Fish Cannons, Koi Herpes and Other Tools to Combat Invasive Carp

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Fish Cannons, Koi Herpes and Other Tools to Combat Invasive Carp

For the past decade, researchers at the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center have been searching for the most effective ways to remove common carp from lakes, ponds and marshes where they do the most damage. Last summer, the team implemented a comprehensive common carp control campaign, including year-round strategies that take advantage of the fish’s life cycle. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, they’ve found, and some approaches work better at certain times and places.

Electronic barriers are being tested to control the movement of carp as well as testing which barriers might keep surviving juveniles from dispersing from their nurseries, and block adults from spawning sites in the first place. Researchers are tracking the carp in order to locate where they rest in the winter, the scientists can swoop up most fish at once with special nets.