Minnesota DNR: 5 Invasive Carp Caught In St. Croix River
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Dale Massie Jr. and his dad, Dale Sr., usually have good luck fishing on the St. Croix River.
"Excellent," Massie Sr. said. "Better than lakes."
But one thing junior and senior have no interest in capturing is a bighead carp.
"Not good for the river system," Massie Jr. said.
In the last week, five invasive bighead carp captured near Xcel Energy's King Power Plant.
"I'd probably get a little scared of the thing I've seen them jumping into peoples' boats in Illinois and them places," Massie Sr. said.
Most of them were caught by everyday anglers who did the right thing and informed the Department of Natural Resources.
Before this, just four bighead carp had been captured in the St. Croix in the past 20 years.
Nick Frohnauer with the DNR says the problem is these things grow up to 60 pounds -- consuming large amounts of food sources other fish rely on.
"It's off channel, they are probably resting. It's slightly warmer and that's probably why they congregated there," Frohnauer said.
Bighead and silver carp were imported in the 1970s to help clean up ponds as an alternative to chemicals.
"Unfortunately, during high-water conditions, some of them escaped into the system," Frohnauer said.
The fish were brought north over time through other bodies of water connecting to the Mississippi.
The DNR's been trying to keep up ever since. They are now beginning intensive sampling to see if more invasive carp are in the area and if they're reproducing.
"I hate to say this but they're expanding," Massie Sr. said.
The DNR is doing more netting in the river. Before this, bighead and silver carp were found as far north as Hastings.
There is no sign yet if they are reproducing in Minnesota.
