10/17/2022

TWRA is working with partners throughout the nation to contain the spread of invasive carp and reduce their abundance in affected waters. There are few options available to control carp, and TWRA is taking the needed steps to implement all of them as funding allows (see bulleted list below).

1) TWRA’s control measures largely focus on the Tennessee and Cumberland systems where available methods can reduce carp abundance and limit their spread to new waters.

2) In September 2018, TWRA implemented a carp harvest incentive program to strategically remove carp from Kentucky and Barkley lakes through commercial fishing. This incentive program has resulted in removal of more than 18 million pounds of carp from these waters as of August 31, 2022. Harvesting carp from Kentucky and Barkley lakes is expected to lessen the likelihood that carp will migrate upstream to new reservoirs in large numbers.

3) TWRA and its partners recognize that removal alone is not a long-term solution, and that deterrents are needed at locks to further restrict the movement of carp. TWRA has been a strong supporter of barriers to stop the spread of carp. We have supported partners with implementation of the experimental BioAcoustic Fish Fence (BAFF) at Barkley Lock, prioritized deterrent locations on the Tennessee River ahead of TVA’s programmatic environmental assessment, and brought awareness to the urgent need for deterrents. Fortunately, at current population levels, with commercial harvest in place, there have been only a few observations of movement upstream by carp populations.

4) TWRA and its partners continue to monitor the abundance and movements of carp to evaluate and direct the above control efforts. TWRA fisheries staff have monitored East Tennessee reservoirs for carp since 2020. Fortunately, no Silver or Bighead carp have been observed. TWRA has also monitored for carp reproduction in Kentucky and Barkley reservoirs since 2016. In that time, only one larval Silver Carp was collected, and no juveniles have been collected, suggesting that reproduction efforts have been unsuccessful, and our population is driven by migration.

• • TWRA will continue sampling and removal efforts to provide valuable information for implementation of carp prevention and control strategies.

• • TWRA continues to support the implementation of strategies backed by partners, including Mississippi Interstate Cooperative Resource Association, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and surrounding state wildlife agencies.

• • TWRA continues to seek new and innovative strategies for preventing the spread of carp and controlling populations where they exist.