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IDNR removed 750,000 pounds of silver carp from the Illinois River in ten days

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Illinois

* This is quite a haul. IDNR press release…

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.

This is the largest single removal effort IDNR has undertaken and is believed to be a record for freshwater harvest within the United States.

“Clearly, this removal technique is highly effective, but it is also highly dependent on water levels and water temperature,” said Brian Schoenung, aquatic nuisance species program manager for IDNR. “This past week provided near perfect conditions, which facilitated the record-breaking haul of fish.”

IDNR uses funding support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to contract with commercial fishers. These fishers, under supervision by IDNR staff, annually remove more than 1 million pounds of invasive carp from the Starved Rock, Marseilles, and Dresden Island pools of the Illinois River, especially targeting the Starved Rock and Marseilles pools.

These efforts help prevent invasive carp from becoming established in the Great Lakes by reducing the population pressure on the electric dispersal barrier system near Romeoville.

Reducing the numbers of adult fish in this area, where small fish have rarely been found, suppresses adult populations and upstream migration, reducing the risk of invasive carp nearing the electric dispersal barrier. During the past 13 years, such efforts have contributed to a nearly 95% reduction in the density of fish in these upstream areas, further protecting the Great Lakes. […]

The seine operation used in on the Illinois River is an experimental effort to expand removal of silver carp. A seine is a fishing net that surrounds fish on the sides and underneath and brings them to the bank. It’s most effective in cool water when silver carp cannot jump out over the net.

Last year, crews utilized the seine to remove 350,000 pounds of invasive carp. As experience has grown, so has the effectiveness of this technique, culminating in the 750,000 pounds removed this month.

In total, such removal efforts contribute to approximately 1 million pounds of invasive carp removed from Illinois waterways annually. In 2023, the most recent catch will bolster total annual removal to 1.7 million pounds.

These efforts would not be possible without the support of Illinois-based invasive carp processors who provide trucks daily for removal and disposal of the fish. Both Sorce Freshwater in Peoria and Aquatic Protein in Beardstown provided trucking and removal support.

* For comparison, the annual Redneck Fishing Tournament harvested about 20,000 pounds of fish near Bath, Illinois this past summer. But the tournament has some rules which limit their catches…

“The fish were huge this year. We dodged more than we probably caught, but it was a lot of fun,” John Patterson, a participant, said. […]

The fish hurl themselves right out of the water. The goal is to see how many you can net or knock into your team’s boat. Our boat had nine unexpected jumpers, at one point even having three at once.

[Patterson didn’t win a Golden Horseshoe today, but he did get this post.]

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Dec 11, 23 @ 3:57 pm

Comments

Any idea what the INDR is doing with the fish? E.g., Consumption?Fertilizer?

Comment by Curious One Monday, Dec 11, 23 @ 4:06 pm
– Any idea what the INDR is doing with the fish?–

They are all being shipped to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

Comment by Michelle Flaherty Monday, Dec 11, 23 @ 4:14 pm
“They are all being shipped to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.” This is worthy of Special Golden Horseshoe Award. Classic, Well Done.

Comment by Give Me A Break Monday, Dec 11, 23 @ 4:17 pm
Curious, Google is your friend. Took me 15 seconds. And I can’t type

Comment by very old soil Monday, Dec 11, 23 @ 4:18 pm
I’m confused. silver carp? Copi?

Comment by Amalia Monday, Dec 11, 23 @ 4:21 pm
Those buses go back to Texas empty, right?

Comment by What's in a name? Monday, Dec 11, 23 @ 4:25 pm
What a bunch of carp.

Comment by 47th Ward Monday, Dec 11, 23 @ 4:30 pm
– I’m confused –
Silver carp are among the invasive species of so-called Asian Carp that have taken over vast stretches of the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers.

Copi is a retail brand/marketing name for the fish, which despite what everyone might think, is not a bottom-feeding carp has the flavor of a light, whitefish. It’s just a pain to process/clean all the bones, but easy and tasty to cook. The idea is if you can encourage people to eat it — Copi — you can create a marketplace for the harvest and perhaps you can overfish it and put a dent in the population and relieve some pressure on the very, very expensive efforts to keep the invasive species out of Lake Michigan.

Hope that helps.

Comment by John Patterson Monday, Dec 11, 23 @ 4:30 pm
Sure the IDNR’s seine net approach is way more effective at removing carp when compared to the Redneck Fishing Tournament.

But the IDNR approach lacks the entertainment value of me and my friends housing Natty Daddy tallboys at 9AM in a cash-only “bar” constructed entirely out of blue tarps and FJB bumper stickers in Bath, IL.

Comment by sulla Monday, Dec 11, 23 @ 4:39 pm
Michelle Flaherty wins the Internet today. That is some brilliant shade.

Comment by JoanP Monday, Dec 11, 23 @ 4:47 pm
How many carp can you get on one of those busses.>

Comment by very old soil Monday, Dec 11, 23 @ 4:58 pm
- has the flavor of a light, whitefish -

…soaked in carp juice.

Comment by Dotnonymous x Monday, Dec 11, 23 @ 6:27 pm
Copi recipe?…put one whole copi on an oak board…put it in the oven for 30 minutes at 300 degrees…take it out of the oven and throw the carp away…eat the board…No bones!

Comment by Dotnonymous x Monday, Dec 11, 23 @ 6:42 pm
@John Patterson, thanks. I figured that. and I know that the fish is not a bottom feeder so weird it is called carp. but I am confused as to why there should still be two names for it. wholesale, retail. which or whatever, glad you got so many of them out of the waters.

Comment by Amalia Monday, Dec 11, 23 @ 8:26 pm
There was a recent article about using tagged carp as “rats” to track the schools of Asian carp. The idea is to track the “rats” to trap the larger schools of carp.

https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/great-lakes-officials-want-to-turn-carp-into-double-agents-to-combat-spread-of-invasive-fish

Comment by Huh? Monday, Dec 11, 23 @ 9:32 pm
Forn those making jokes about how the Asian carp taste, don’t knock them until you have had a chance to taste them yourself. We had Copi sandwiches at one of the ubiquitous fish stands around Alton a while back, and the flesh is mild, bright white (unlike their brownish, bottom feeding cousins) and similar to other mild white fish. People eat tons of those “walleye” sandwiches at local fairs and events, and Copi to us was a much better tasting fish than those Pollack sandwiches ( and don’t get me started on Tilapia- I’d rather eat White Bass or even Drum Pearch over that muddy, bland fish than many restaurants serve nowadays

Comment by Roadypig Tuesday, Dec 12, 23 @ 10:18 am