MDC invasive carp removal projects and how weather impacts populations

Many people across Mid-Missouri love to get outdoors and hit the water to fish, and many of these fishermen and women have frequently run into invasive carp taking over waterways like the one right behind me that lead to various issues. The Missouri Department of Conservation is working on tackling these problem species with removal projects.

Portions of the Lamine River in Howard county are being fished with MDC in conjunction with commercial fishermen to removal a goal of 15,000 invasive carp from the river each week. The hope is to remove 30-40% of fish from the localized area in a longer-term effort to decrease the population to allow native species to remain healthy.

Weather has a significant impact on the populations of invasive carp species just like that of native game species. Increased rainfall totals in the spring can signal increased spawning leading to higher population totals. Years of drought during the spring can lead to decreased populations as there is also less effective minerals and nutrients being flushed into the waterways.

Beyond overtaking resources in waterways, invasive carp species can also become dangerous to boaters. The vibrations of passing boats can lead to these carp jumping out of the water and potentially harming passing boaters.

Various species of invasive carp can grown up to great length and weight leading to the fish dominating local areas of lakes, rivers, and ponds.