Grass carp caught in St. Croix expands species' range to north

[Steve Arend]

Grass carp caught in St. Croix expands species' range to north

BY DENNIS LIEN

ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS

A 45- to 50-pound grass carp was caught in the Lower St. Croix River earlier this month, fueling concern about several types of Asian carp that are making their way up the Mississippi River from southern states.

A commercial fisherman caught the carp April 7 near Prescott, Wis., said Jay Rendall, invasive species program coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Grass carp are one of four species of Asian carp that were imported into the United States in the 1960s and 1970s, escaped into the lower Mississippi basin, and now threaten fisheries by consuming food normally eaten by native fish and wildlife. The others are bighead, black and silver carp, with the silver carp achieving a measure of notoriety for its ability to leap from the water when startled.

A small number of grass carp have been caught in the Mississippi River between Minnesota and Wisconsin over the past two decades, and a bighead carp was caught in Lake Pepin in 2004, Rendall said. The latest catch underscores the continuing threat from those fish, he said.

Grass carp caught in St. Croix expands species' range to north

[GLF]

How many years do you think, before they make it into the Great Lakes? They are knocking on the door now