The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Midwest Region is pleased to announce $800,000 in funding to assist state partners in the Upper Mississippi River and Ohio River basins in their Asian carp prevention and control efforts. The funding comes from a $2.3 million increase in the Service’s 2015 base budget to support integrated Asian carp management efforts outside of the Great Lakes basin.
Asian carp species, including bighead, silver, black and grass, are unwelcome invaders to the Midwest’s waterways. As directed by Congress in the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (2014), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is helping to coordinate response actions in the Upper Mississippi River and Ohio River basins to protect local economies that depend on outdoor recreation tied to healthy lakes, rivers and streams. Funding was distributed evenly between the two basins, with priority projects focused on understanding the distribution and movement of Asian carp, the impact of the invasive fish on native fish, and removal of Asian carp from the water. Following is a breakdown of funding in each basin by state:
Ohio River Basin
Kentucky Total: $240,149
- Research on distribution and movement
- Control and removal
- Limiting dispersal at lock and dams
- Monitoring and response in the Ohio River
- Coordination and outreach
West Virginia Total: $95,000
- Research on distribution and movement
- Control and removal
- Limiting dispersal at lock and dams
- Monitoring and response in the Ohio River
- Coordination and outreach
Indiana Total: $62,351
- Research on distribution and movement
- Impacts on native fish
Pennsylvania Total: $2,500
- Monitoring and response in the Ohio River
Upper Mississippi River Basin
Minnesota Total: $140,000
- Surveillance monitoring to determine presence and invasion fronts in the Upper Mississippi River
- Evaluation of Asian carp and native fish passage at Mississippi River locks and dams
Illinois Total: $175,000
- Surveillance monitoring to determine presence and invasion fronts in the Upper Mississippi River
- Control and removal
Missouri Total: $85,000
- Evaluation of Asian carp and native fish passage at Mississippi River locks and dams