LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Invasive carp terrorize rivers across the country, and Arkansas is no exception.
It’s a problem the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) has been monitoring for a while.
“The term invasive carp refers to four fish species that have been introduced into the United States and have caused significant ecological and economic harm,” said Matt Horton with the AGFC’s Aquatic Nuisance Species division.
The fish are also known as Asian carp because they were brought over from Southeast Asia, and they’ve since spread across the country and the state.
One of the main problems is that they eat plankton, which other fish desperately need.
“Most folks would say, 'Well, who cares?'” said Scott Jones, small impoundment extension specialist at the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff. "The fish that feed our sport fish care."
Their jumping behavior also poses a threat, as silver carp—one of the four species—jump when startled, often by boats. Some carp weigh as much as 50 pounds or more, and their jumping can be a real hazard to boaters.
“If you add all this up, not only do they impact our native aquatic wildlife,” Horton said. “But they also threaten several important industries in our state, including recreation, tourism and commercial fishing.”
To aid the issue, AGFC has staff dedicated to catching the fish and offers incentives to local fishermen who make a catch. Additionally, they want to make the carp a resource for local markets and fish processors.
“If you combine our agency removals with what we just got started in our harvest incentive program, we've already removed over 500,000 pounds of carp from our river systems,” Horton said.
While they may be able to limit the number of invasive carp in state waters, Jones thinks the fish could be here to stay.
“Unless you nip it in the bud as soon as it happens,” Jones said. “They're there forever, and these carps are here forever.”
Click here to learn more about the AGFC's program to catch carp for cash.