Asian Carp

Report a Sighting or Capture

There are four species of carp, native to Asia, that are invasive and dangerous to Ohio, Lake Erie, and the Great Lakes system. Two species, bighead and silver carp, pose a particularly high risk for fish life as well as boaters in Ohio.

Bighead carp can commonly weigh 40 pounds but have been recorded up to 100 pounds and silver carp weigh about 20 pounds. Silver carp are capable of jumping great heights out of the water, potentially injuring recreational boaters and anglers. Silver and bighead carps feed on plankton and could out-compete native Ohio species that depend on plankton (e.g., yellow perch).

You can help biologists track the movement of Asian carp by learning to identify them and reporting any sightings or captures.
 

Links

Identify Asian carp

Identifying Bighead and Silver Carp in the Ohio River Basin

Identifying Bighead and Silver Carp from local baitfish

Identify silver and bighead carp (USFWS video)

Report Asian carp sightings in Ohio

Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee

Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee photo stream on Flickr

Asian carp information from USGS

The Wabash/Maumee River Connection

Environmental DNR (eDNA) to track Asian carp