The US removed 23 million kg of invasive carp

Theo Popular Scienceover the past 15 years, the wildlife agency removed nearly 23 million kilograms of invasive carp from the Illinois River, equivalent to the weight of about 5,000 elephants.

Measures to eliminate invasive carp include catching large numbers of fish in each stretch of the river, erecting fences to prevent their movement, and constant monitoring. Removal of invasive carp from the Illinois River is part of a program focused on the northern portion of the river, about 50 miles from Lake Michigan. The project is primarily designed to limit the adult carp population living in the area by reducing their ability to reproduce and preventing them from migrating upstream.

According to MSN, the most innovative tool in the fight against invasive carp is the electric fence system (EDBS), about 60 km from Lake Michigan. This barrier uses electric pulses to prevent carp from swimming through the Chicago area and entering the Great Lakes region via the Illinois River. Combined with other measures, EDBS helps protect ecosystems from collapse if carp invade the Great Lakes.

There are currently four invasive species of the carp family that are wreaking havoc on the Great Lakes and many other places, including bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis), white carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus) and grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella). All four species were imported to North America to help control pests at aquaculture facilities in the 1970s, according to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. They escaped captivity in just 10 years, spreading to the Mississippi River basin and several other major rivers, including the Missouri and Illinois rivers.

Each invasive carp species can weigh more than 45 kg and measure 1.2 meters from head to tail. Bighead carp and white carp usually eat small plankton in the water, grass carp eat rooted plants in shallow water, and black carp mainly eat mollusks and snails. According to Peter Alsip, an ecologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, they consume a lot of food and can exist in such large numbers that it can reduce resources available to native fish. They can indirectly impact the entire ecosystem because silver carp feed on plants and zooplankton that form the foundation of the food web.

Once entering river and lake watersheds, invasive carp can reproduce rapidly and compete with native fish. According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), in areas with abundant invasive carp populations, they can affect commercial and recreational fishing activities. They can also be dangerous to humans. According to MSNwhite carp are famous for jumping out of the water due to fear of boat engines, causing many people to faint, have broken bones or severe bruises due to collisions with large fish