Invasive species caught in Mississippi River near Clayton - KWWL

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says that a silver carp was caught on the Mississippi River near Clayton on Thursday.

A commercial fisherman found the fish in his gill net after fishing in Pool 10.  The DNR says it was the first silver carp caught in that pool.

Fisheries biologists confirmed the species of the 11-pound fish.

Silver carp and bighead carp, which are native to Asia, were put into southern U.S. fish farms in the 1970's to control algae.  They made their way into the Mississippi River Basin during floods and have developed populations throughout the basin.

The DNR says silver carp and bighead carp have been in the Iowa part of the Mississippi River since 2003.

While both species compete with native fish for food, the silver carp is more of an issue for boaters because they tend to jump out of the water when disturbed. 

Silver carp have been reportedly found in the Missouri, Big Sioux, Little Sioux, Chariton, and Des Moines rivers and East Okoboji, Spirit, Elk, Lost Island, and Snyder Bend lakes in Iowa.