Bighead and Silver Carp Captured in Minnesota Rivers

St. Paul, MN (KROC-AM News) - The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources today confirmed the presence of four invasive carp in state waters.

Officials say a bighead carp and two silver carp have been captured over the past several weeks and a third silver carp has been detected. The bighead carp was caught in the St. Croix River at the Xcel Energy King Power Plant in Oakdale, while the silver carp were in the Mississippi River between Red Wing and Wabasha.

The silver carp that was detected in the Mississippi was originally tagged in the spring of 2017 far to the South near the Quad Cities of Iowa and Illinois. The 2 other silver carp were captured in late May and early June, and the bighead carp was caught on Thursday.

The DNR has been monitoring the northward movement of the invasive species since the carp got into the Mississippi River in the 1970s. The agency is working on an effort to curb the spread of the carp, which are detrimental to native species. Officials say the recent captures and detection do not indicate reproduction or an established population in Minnesota and so far, no breeding populations have been detected in Minnesota waters.

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