Bighead and silver carp were introduced to the Mississippi River in the 1970s after wastewater treatment ponds were overcome from flooding on the Lower Mississippi River. Left uncontrolled, the invasive carp’s feeding habits starve other species and cause turbidity in the waters where they feed, detrimentally altering the habitat that supports native species. Left unchecked, there is concern that the invasive species will continue to move farther upstream into the upper Mississippi and Ohio rivers.

Status

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is the federal lead for invasive carp management. The FWS works with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Great Lakes and Ohio River Division, which leads coordination within USACE. The FWS participates in the Mississippi Interstate Cooperative Resource Association’s Asian Carp Advisory Committee, which published a monitoring and response plan in November 2015 to address invasive carp in the Mississippi River basin. The plan includes best practices; sampling, monitoring, and response plans; control and removal plans; and coordination and outreach plans.

In Minnesota, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR) conducts controlled fish captures in locations favored by invasive carp and publishes the results in an annual report.

The St. Paul District cooperates with other federal and state agencies to increase awareness of invasive carp behaviors and likely deterrents. The district has permitted the University of Minnesota’s Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center (UMAISRC) to conduct flow modeling and field studies on invasive carp swimming capabilities and behaviors at Locks and Dams 1, 2, 4, 5 and 8. The St. Paul District has permitted installation of an acoustic barrier speaker system and allowed a trial run to modify dam gate operations at Lock and Dam 8 based on UMAISRC research results.

In 2024, the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council (LSOHC) recommended that the Minnesota state legislature fund the MN DNR to design and install an invasive carp deterrent at Lock and Dam 5. The MN DNR received $12 million from the state legislature, and the St. Paul District is cooperating with the state and their partners as they identify the path forward on this deterrent. The St. Paul District hosted a tour of Lock and Dam 5 for agency partners and members of the LSOHC in June 2024. Any changes to lock and dam operating plans require approval USACE authorities.

Upper St. Anthony Falls lock, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was closed to navigation in June 2015. The lock closure provides a barrier to upstream movement of invasive carp.

Authority

Alterations and modification to existing USACE projects are permitted by 33 U.S. Code Section 408 if the proposed change does not adversely impact the project purpose and is not injurious to the public.