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A group of men in waders stands in water watch a swarm of fish. Three flat-bottom boats with nets attached to the sides float in the background.

Illinois Department of Natural Resources invasive carp removal effort on the Upper Illinois River.

IDNR concludes record-breaking invasive carp removal effort on Upper Illinois River

December 12, 2023

Illinois Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologists, with support from contracted commercial fishers and biologists from the Illinois River Biological Station, wrapped up a 10-day intensive harvest operation in the Starved Rock pool of the Illinois River, resulting in the removal of an astonishing 750,000 pounds of silver carp between Nov. 27 and Dec. 6.

Read about the record-breaking removal effort »

A person in dirty orange overalls stands at the bow of a flat-bottom boat holding a portion of netting above the water.

An Illinois Department of Natural Resources-contracted fishing crew sets gill nets in the Chicago River to sample for invasive carp. Photo by Claire Snyder/Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

No invasive carp found during intensive monitoring in Chicago Area Waterway System

November 29, 2023

No bighead, silver, or grass carp were captured or observed in the Chicago Area Waterway System after two weeks of rigorous sampling were conducted in October 2023 during the annual Fall Seasonal Intensive Monitoring event.

Read about the annual Fall Seasonal Intensive Monitoring event »

A crane lowers a large structure, indicated with text as the underwater accoustic deterrent system or sound bar, into the waters of the lock channel which is also labelled.

The Underwater Acoustic Deterrent System being installed in the downstream lock approach channel of Mississippi River Lock 19, Keokuk, Iowa, in February 2021. Photograph by Mark Cornish/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Interim reports released for two experimental invasive carp deterrent studies

October 10, 2023

Interim project updates for the BioAcoustic Fish Fence at Barkley Lock and Dam in Kentucky and the Underwater Acoustic Deterrent System at Lock No. 19 on the Mississippi River have been released as Open File Reports that provide information from the first two years of operation and evaluation for each study.

Read about the interim reports »

A person holds a sample tube under a liquid dispenser.

A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist prepares water samples in a mobile lab for transport to the Whiteny Genetics Laboratory in Onalaska, Wisconsin. Photo by Monica Blaser/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

No silver carp eDNA in new St. Joseph River samples

September 28, 2023

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources today announced that no silver carp environmental DNA was found in a Sept. 6 resampling of the St. Joseph River.

Read about the new St. Joseph River eDNA results »

A person holds a test tube holder with sample tubes over the side of a boat.

A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist collects water samples for eDNA testing. Photo by Monica Blaser/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Silver carp eDNA detected in one location on the St. Joseph River in Michigan

September 7, 2023

Routine environmental DNA, known as eDNA, surveillance for invasive bighead and silver carp, conducted annually by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, turned up a single positive sample in the St. Joseph River near the St. Joseph/Benton Harbor area.

Read about the St. Joseph River eDNA results »

A 44 pound (22 kilogram) grass carp is weighed on a boat during the monitoring event

One grass carp was removed from Lake Calumet during seasonal intensive monitoring sampling

No bighead or silver carp found during spring seasonal intensive monitoring

July 25, 2023

No bighead carp or silver carp were captured or observed in the Chicago Area Waterway System during two weeks of rigorous sampling conducted in May 2023 during the annual Spring Seasonal Intensive Monitoring event.

Read about the monitoring event »

A white colored fish held in hands.

A silver carp held by a biologist.

Analysis Complete of Silver Carp Captured in Lake Calumet

May 16, 2023

Laboratory analysis of a silver carp collected this past August in Lake Calumet within the Chicago Area Waterway System found that the fish was an adult that originated in the Illinois River watershed.

Read about the analysis of the silver carp collected in Lake Calumet »

A portion of the 2023 Invasive Carp Action Plan showing the tail fin of a grass carp.

2023 Invasive Carp Action Plan

Invasive Carp Regional Coordinating Committee Releases 2023 Invasive Carp Action Plan

April 6, 2023

The Invasive Carp Regional Coordinating Committee is pleased to announce the release of its 2023 Invasive Carp Action Plan, a comprehensive portfolio of more than 50 projects focused on Great Lakes protection. Activities include aggressive efforts to reduce populations of bighead and silver carp along established fronts, large-scale field trials of potential invasive carp deterrent technologies and actions to address black and grass carp threats.

Read about the release of the Action Plan »

A person on a metal boat lifts netting from the water. A pile of aquatic plant debris sits on the boat deck. Another boat on the water can be seen in the background.

As part of the rapid response monitoring effort, a commercial fisherman checks a gillnet for invasive carp along the Calumet River. Photo courtesy of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

Sampling Concludes in Illinois Waterway - No Silver or Bighead Carp Found

August 30, 2022

No silver or bighead carp were seen or caught during two consecutive weeks of rapid response monitoring initiated by the capture of an adult silver carp in Lake Calumet on August 4, 2022. The response monitoring was conducted August 5 through August 19 in Lake Calumet and adjacent waters within the Chicago Area Waterway System.

Read about the rapid response monitoring in Lake Calumet »

A dusky colored fish sits on a measuring board on a cooler.

The silver carp captured in the Illinois Waterway on June 22, 2017 below T.J. O'Brien Lock and Dam. Image courtesy of Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Invasive silver carp removed from Lake Calumet

August 5, 2022

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Invasive Carp Regional Coordinating Committee today announced the removal of one silver carp from Lake Calumet in the Chicago Area Waterway System. Lake Calumet is approximately seven miles from Lake Michigan. The fish was captured yesterday by gill netting and electro-fishing crews from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Read about the removal of a silver carp from Lake Calumet »