Over 25 million pounds of invasive carp have been removed by commercial harvest since 2018 in five Tennessee reservoirs, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA).
In June, TWRA’s Tennessee Carp Harvest Incentive Program (TCHIP) reached a milestone with 25,281,993 pounds of invasive carp removed from the Kentucky, Barkley, Cheatham, Old Hickory, and Pickwick reservoirs.
There are four species of invasive carp in the U.S. and in Tennessee. All four species – Bighead Carp, Silver Carp, Black Carp, and Grass Carp – are from China’s Yangtze and Amur River systems.
TWRA’s program began in 2018 under an approved budget of $500,000 to provide incentives for the commercial harvest of invasive carp in the Kentucky, Barkley, Cheatham, and Old Hickory lakes. The program was officially launched on September 18, 2018.
Last year, the program provided the necessary funds to remove over 18.4 million pounds of carp from the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers, according to TWRA.
The program currently enrolls wholesale fish dealers and commercial fishermen and assists them by providing incentives for the harvest and sale of invasive carp.
“Partnerships with the commercial fishing industry are a key strategy in the state’s ongoing efforts to remove invasive carp and prevent their spread in Tennessee,” Eric Ganus, TWRA Commercial Fishing coordinator, said in a statement.
“While commercial harvest is the primary approach to defend our waters from the impacts and expansion of invasive carp, another key strategy to prevent the spread of invasive carp to upstream waters is deterrents.” Cole Harty, TWRA Aquatic Nuisance Species coordinator, added.
TWRA is currently tracking and monitoring the activity of over 1,000 carp tagged with sonic transmitters in the river systems by passive receivers.
“This research will tell us how and when the carp are using areas of the reservoirs, and it will also be used to evaluate newly-developed technology that could create barriers at locks,” TWRA explains on its website.
However, TWRA adds, “While more high-tech solutions may eventually be developed, commercial fishing is presently the most practical method to reduce the abundance of invasive carp in Tennessee waters.”
In 2020, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee also signed an executive order creating the Asian Carp Advisory Commission for “addressing and mitigating the invasion of Asian carp into Tennessee’s lakes and river systems in order to protect native fish species and aquatic life and commercial and recreational fishing and water activities in Tennessee.”
– – –
Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Invasive Carp Fishes” by Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency.
Too bad we can”t do the same with the invasive species of Marxist liberals that have infested Tennessee.