No Bighead or Silver Asian Carp Found in Muskingum River Sampling

COLUMBUS, OH – An extensive effort to search three Ohio rivers found none of the invasive species of bighead or silver Asian carp, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).

Water samples taken from the Muskingum River showed traces of Asian carp environmental DNA (eDNA). In response to those results, the ODNR Division of Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service deployed electrofishing crews to search for live Asian carp. Electrofishing crews sampled 125 sites in June along the entire stretch of the Muskingum River, as well as portions of the Tuscarawas and Walhonding rivers. While some grass carp were observed, no bighead or silver Asian carp were found.

Ohio and 42 other states allow the sale of sterile (triploid) grass carp. These fish eat aquatic vegetation and are used for controlling aquatic vegetation in ponds. Ohio law does not allow importation or stocking of fertile (diploid) grass carp. Ohio law has allowed importation and stocking of certified sterile (triploid) grass carp since 1988.

Asian carp monitoring efforts are taking place in the Muskingum River because of two direct water connections to Lake Erie in the rivers’ headwaters. A low-lying agricultural area along Killbuck Creek and a connection between the Tuscarawas River and the Little Cuyahoga River at the Ohio-Erie Canal have been identified by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as potential aquatic pathways between the Mississippi-Ohio River and Lake Erie-Great Lakes basins.

The nearest eDNA detection is approximately 100 river miles from the Little Killbuck Creek connection and 120 river miles from the Ohio-Erie Canal connection. Physical barriers prevent Asian carp from crossing the watershed boundary at these locations during normal weather conditions. However, the watersheds have the potential to be connected during extreme flood events. ODNR is coordinating closure studies of both of these sites.

Fish shed cells, blood and tissue as they move through the water column. This material, called eDNA, is suspended in the water and can be collected as part of a surface water sample. Surveillance detects this material and can alert surveyors to the potential of live fish in an area.

Visit ohiodnr.gov/asiancarp for more information about Asian carp and eDNA.