Commercial fishers, Minnesota DNR capture 83 invasive carp in Pool 5A of the Mississippi River

Winona, Minn. — The Minnesota DNR on Monday reported that a commercial fishing crew captured 83 adult carp –  82 silver and one bighead – on Feb. 13 and 14 in Pool 5A of the Mississippi River.

“As with previous captures, it is unlikely that these adult fish were the result of reproduction in Minnesota waters,” said Kelly Pennington, DNR invasive species unit supervisor, in an agency press release. “The DNR and partner agencies will continue to use a range of aggressive prevention and management techniques, consistent with the recently updated Invasive Carp Action Plan.”

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Kayla Zankle, DNR invasive carp specialist, told Outdoor News the capture wasn’t planned or scheduled. Instead, some commercial fishermen noticed a school of fish in the Pool 5A area and notified Zankle that there might be invasive Asian carp in the school.

The DNR and commercial fishermen worked together over those two days to net the 83 carp. Zankle said the DNR had crews checking the area after the captures and caught additional fish.

Zankle said the Pool 5A area is all open water because of the mild winter, which has allowed commercial fishermen to travel freely throughout the area.

“Because we have had warmer weather, the commercial fishermen have been able to get out on the water earlier,” Zankle said. “I think, to some extent, these fish mostly are schooling in the winter, but ice conditions play a huge role in what can be done with them.”

The DNR captured 400 carp over two days with 323 on Nov. 30, 2023, and an additional 77 on Dec. 7, 2023. The recent capture at Pool 5A is just downstream from Lock and Dam 5, where Friends of the Mississippi River and other organizations are advocating for funding of a deterrent to stop the spread of carp upstream from Lock and Dam 5.