Officials with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife aren’t excited about the appearance of common carp in the Cooper Creek Reservoir near Sutherlin. And they’re encouraging anglers to go all out in capturing them.
The carp were illegally introduced into the waterway, and 14 - mostly pregnant females - were found during an electro-fishing operation in April. The fish can degrade habitat for native fish, with females able to lay 300,000 eggs in a single spawn.
Evan Leonetti is the Umpqua Fish District Biologist. He said he’s notified the Sutherlin Water District, which manages the reservoir, and is reaching out to others to determine next steps.
“It's very concerning for me with the potential for carp to leave Cooper Creek Reservoir, migrate downstream and enter into the North Umpqua River,” said Leonetti. “And then the main stem of Umpqua Rivers where they would also find some potentially good habitat for them to expand. That would be my nightmare, if you will.”
Common carp are native to Europe and Asia, and related to goldfish, said Leonetti. Besides crowding the space inhabited with other fish species, carp can increase water turbidity by uprooting plants, and altering aquatic vegetation and food webs.
The ODFW says monitoring will continue, and people are encouraged to remove as many as they can from the area. Carp can be eaten or used as fertilizer in gardens.
In an ODFW release, Leonetti asks anglers that catch a carp to report the location where it was caught, along with its size and a photo if possible. This information can be sent to him at evan.leonetti@odfw.oregon.gov or call (541) 440-3353.
Because carp are non-game fish in Oregon, there is no harvest limit, and it is legal to dispose of the fish.
Leonetti says whatever you do, don’t throw them back into the water.
