Invasive Carp

Carp: Why we should care and what to do about them.

April 8, 2010

Speaker: Peter Sorensen, University of Minnesota, Biological Oceanography

The common carp has become North America’s most damaging invasive animal since its introduction in the 1870s. The error was compounded in the 1970s when the Asian carp was brought in by fish farmers—the fish quickly escaped to wreak havoc in the Mississippi River Basin.

Peter Sorenson, who has been study fish for 40 years, feels carp are little understood and largely uncontrolled. Research shows that these seemingly formidable fish have weaknesses that can be exploited using integrated pest management practices. Studies at the University of Minnesota have shown that game fish in shallow lakes will consume all common carp eggs and larvae, for example.

“The public does not seem to realize the crisis we face with Asian carp and that there are things than can and should be done,” says Sorenson. It’s time to make progress on ending the enormous damage caused by these invasive species.