BLACK CARP NETTED IN RED RIVER

On April 19, a commercial fisherman fishing the Red River called the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Inland Fisheries Division after landing a fish that he knew wasn't supposed to be there. Fisheries biologists quickly determined that the 26-pound fish was an Asian black carp, the first confirmed catch in Louisiana waters and only the second recorded capture from the wild anywhere in the nation.
The black carp is a non-indigenous, or exotic, species introduced into the United States from Asia to assist catfish farmers with biocontrol of yellow grub, a parasite. Yellow grubs penetrate channel catfish tissue after the fish consume infected snails in aquaculture ponds. Department biologists have been concerned that this species would escape from fish ponds, just as the other Asian carp have escaped.

Asian black carp typically grow to more than three feet in length and can weigh up to 150 pounds. Louisiana's rivers are already heavily populated with silver carp, bighead carp and grass carp, all of which were introduced previously into the U.S. from Asia for aquaculture purposes. These three species have established reproducing populations throughout most of the Mississippi River basin and their ranges are expanding. The silver carp has garnered recent attention after numerous sightings in Louisiana's rivers and their potential threat to boaters with their penchant for jumping high out of the water.

While the capture of a black carp in the Red River was alarming to LDWF's Inland Fisheries biologists, the news will almost certainly send a shockwave to researchers throughout the Mississippi River basin. Just like the other Asian carp species, there is no reason to believe that this species won't also migrate to suitable habitats throughout the basin. Since this species is a molluskivore, freshwater mussel populations are at the greatest direct risk of depletion. Some of these mussel species are on the threatened or endangered species lists.

Biologists are anxious to determine as much information from this specimen as possible. Mark McElroy, of the LDWF Inland Fisheries Division said, "Most important for us is to get a ploidy assessment which will help us determine whether this particular individual was sterile. USGS researchers are comparing laboratory results from this fish to those from known species to provide ploidy information. We're hopeful that there will be enough evidence to conclude that this individual was a triploid (sterile)." Meanwhile, LDWF fisheries biologists plan to step up sampling efforts to determine if this was an isolated event or something worse.

For more information, contact Mark McElroy at 225/765-2865 mcelroy_mg@wlf.state.la.us

 

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