Bighead and Silver carp (Photo: WIDNR)
Over the past week, five bighead carp have been pulled from the St. Croix River south of Stillwater, near Xcel Energy’s King Power Plant.
Nick Frohnauer with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says this is the furthest upstream invasive carp have been detected in the St. Croix, some seven miles north of the previous point. The first was captured in 1996, with three more turning up before the most recent discovery of five in the past week.
Asian carp have long infested the Mississippi River and its connected waters. They get bigger while seizing the food that native fish eat.
The DNR was back out again Tuesday sampling. Frohnauer reminds anyone who catches a bighead, silver, black, or grass carp to contact their office right away. He says do not release the fish. Take a photo, and store the fish until it can be delivered to the DNR.
Contributed by Minnesota News Network