Arctic Lake Fishery Assessment and Carp Management

Location

Prior Lake, MN

Expertise

Environment

Services

Natural Resources

To address water quality issue and develop a holistic understanding of the Arctic Lake fishery, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community commissioned WSB to complete a baseline fishery assessment and begin management of carp within the basin. In 2017, WSB completed baseline fisheries assessments to characterize the largemouth bass, bluegill sunfish, and carp population within Arctic Lake. Survey methodology included developing a mark recapture population estimate for largemouth bass and common carp, and index values for panfish populations.

WSB completed the population estimate and assessment in fall 2017, which showed elevated carp biomass which was negatively impacting water quality and ecological integrity. WSB moved into the next phase of the project which included large scale removal of the carp population. This involved implanting carp with high frequency telemetry and tracking radio tagged fish to identify aggregations.

In late fall 2017, WSB coordinated a removal which resulted in removing nearly half of the adult carp population and the majority of the juvenile carp population. WSB will coordinate an additional removal effort in 2018 to further reduce the carp population.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PROJECT INCLUDE:

Population estimate

Developed a population estimate to quantify the adult and juvenile carp population

Removal

Coordinated removal of over 50% of the adult carp population

Tagging

Mapped locations of radio tagged carp in fall winter 2017/2018

Reporting

Developed a report that characterized fish assemblage and size structure for bluegill, largemouth bass, and common carp for future population tracking as management is implemented

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