Hunting invasive silver carp, angler gets a bonus of 100 USD/fish

For just catching invasive silver carp with tags, anglers in the US will receive a bonus of 100 USD (about 2.5 million VND) per fish.

In an effort to stop the invasive silver carp population from growing in Tennessee's waterways, the state's wildlife agency has turned to fishing enthusiasts for help.

A white carp was caught.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) recently announced that it will offer a $100 reward to anyone who catches an invasive silver carp with a tag or ring on its upper jaw. Previously, the local fisheries agency had tagged 1,000 silver carp.

If a fisherman catches a tagged fish, he or she simply keeps the tag, contacts the TWRA Fisheries Division, and receives the reward. If an angler catches a white carp without a tag, TWRA recommends freezing the fish and contacting the organization.

Silver carp are one of four common invasive fish species in Tennessee. They can grow to over 60 pounds, feed on zooplankton, and are an important food source for many native fish. When they jump out of the water, they can injure boaters.

"White carp are native to China and are destroying the local ecosystem. Therefore, even if you catch untagged fish, do not let them return to the water," said a TWRA representative.

Similar programs are now being implemented in many other places. For example, the state of New South Wales in Australia has an annual Namoi Carp Muster event, which awards prizes to anglers who catch the largest carp or the most carp.

In Florida (USA), at the Florida Keys Lionfish Derby festival, participants will compete to see who catches the most lionfish and win a prize. Local officials say lionfish are an invasive species. They specialize in eating native fish and have a very fast egg-laying rate.

Returning to the story of the white carp invading Tennessee, experts say that damage to the ecosystem in waterways can cause a chain reaction.

At the same time, the decline of certain species will upset the natural balance, possibly causing coastal or riverine erosion, leading to reduced flood protection in neighboring communities.

Flathead catfish are an invasive species in the United States.

Not only having a headache because of the invasive silver carp, some rivers in the US are suffering from the problem of flathead catfish threatening the ecosystem.

The Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico are native to the flathead catfish. However, since the 1950s, the species has been introduced into the Atlantic river systems by fishermen in the western United States.

Due to its prolific nature, a fish can lay an average of 100,000 eggs per clutch, making the flathead catfish highly widespread.

In 2023, the governor of Maryland called on the federal government to declare flathead catfish an invasive species, a fisheries disaster in Chesapeake Bay waterways.

Experts estimate that if this species is allowed to grow freely, it could decimate native animals within just 30 years. Faced with this danger, many localities encourage fishermen to catch flathead catfish.

Viet Son (According to Dan Tri)

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