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Invasive Asian Carp Found In Wisconsin River

Fish Discovered As Part Of Wisconsin DNR's Routine Sturgeon Survey

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silver carp
A silver carp caught in the Illinois Waterway below T.J. O’Brien Lock and Dam, approximately nine miles away from Lake Michigan.  Illinois Department of Natural Resources via AP

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says an invasive fish species has been found in the Wisconsin River.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that four bighead carp captured near the Prairie du Sac dam are the latest sign of Asian carp presence in the state. The department also found a fifth fish dead on the shore.

The fish were discovered as part of the department’s routine surveys of the sturgeon population.

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The department’s fisheries experts believe the carp that were found strayed from larger fish populations south of Wisconsin and aren’t part of an established population in the state.

Nate Nye is a fisheries biologist with the agency. He says the fish likely reached the Wisconsin River when the water was high in the spring and summer.

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