Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: South Dakota
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Ongoing invasive carp modeling work has produced population-level model (SEICarP) that has been used to inform fish removal programs in the Illinois River. SEICarP outputs have helped plan targeted harvest efforts in the Illinois River and identified possible barrier/deterrent locations. Although SEICarP is a powerful tool to evaluate management actions, it does not consider ecological impacts of invasive carp removal. SEICarp is currently being expanded to other river basins containing invasive carps. This study will combine SEICarP outcomes where management should occur with an ecological assessment of carp removal to better refine harvest levels and targets (e.g., size of fish targeted for removal) that produce the greatest possible ecological benefit.