Over 3,000 pounds of carp removed from Upper Prior Lake!

Posted by PLSLWD Staff - May 21, 2019 - Carp Management, Prior Lake

WSB scientists and PLSLWD staff electrofishing to capture carp for removal on 5/20/19.

PLSLWD staff have been keeping an eye on the Arctic Lake outlet this spring, waiting for carp to start crowding into the channel as their natural instinct draws them to travel upstream for spawning. The City of Prior Lake and the PLSLWD placed a barrier at the outlet to Arctic Lake so that they can no longer make their way upstream.

There are a handful of opportunities in springtime where the carp start moving together toward the outlet after a rain event and begin stacking up on top of each other trying to get through the closed outlet. Staff seized the opportunity on May 20, 2019 when they observed the carp stacking up and threw a net barrier behind them, trapping them in the channel. WSB scientists then used their electrofishing boat to stun the fish, and worked with PLSLWD staff to pull the carp out of the water and load them onto the boat. The carp haul was then taken to the Organics Recycling Facility to be turned into compost.

There were a total of 266 carp removed from Upper Prior Lake totaling an estimated 3,600 pounds! This helps move us towards our water quality goal for carp populations levels, with about another 50-60K pounds of removals to go. The work isn’t done yet, and the PLSLWD will be out completing more carp removals this spring and fall!

Check out some video from the carp haul below or visit our YouTube channel here.

View Full Article Prior Lake, Upper Prior, carp, carp removal

Ready for a Friday FISH FRY! WHAT’S THE STATUS of the carp seine?

Posted by PLSLWD Staff - April 19, 2019 - News, Carp Management, Prior Lake

The commercial fishermen were at it again today, throwing out their nets in Crystal/Mud Bay in hopes of capturing a large amount of carp. They successfully netted an estimated 3,000 pounds of carp which brings the week’s total to about 8,000 pounds of carp!

IS THERE STILL MORE CARP TO CATCH? Yes, but the commercial fisherman are calling the seining effort this week solid work and are hanging up their hats (for now). There is a LOT more carp in Upper Prior Lake that we need removed to meet our water quality goals, and the Watershed District will be working with the commercial fisherman again later this year to complete additional seines with help from our carp consultants at WSB.

The commercial fishermen “cribbing” up the group of captured carp.

WHERE DO THE CARP GO? The semi truck has been rescheduled and will now be out at the boat launch on Sunday to transport the carp to markets down south where they are used to stock commercial game ponds. If anyone would like to see how the carp are loaded up onto the semi, they are welcome to join us at the boat lunch bright & early on Sunday morning!

DO I STILL NEED TO STEER CLEAR OF MUD BAY? There are two areas in Crystal/Mud Mary where the captured carp are being held, one group is netted up into a “crib” and the other is in an underwater net bag with a two signs near it waning residents to “KEEP OUT”. Please use caution on the south and west shorelines of Crystal/Mud Bay(see map below).

CAN I PUT IN MY DOCK? If your property is in Crystal/Mud Bay and is not near the netted carp areas on the west and south side of the bay, please feel free to put in your dock. However, please remember to use caution when driving boats along the shoreline.

HOW CAN I GET UPDATES ON THE PROJECT? Keep checking the website or email mkarschnia@plslwd.org to be added to our email update list – we’ll send out updates as we learn more! In addition, you can feel free to give us a call at 952-447-9808 if you have any immediate questions or concerns.

Jeff Anderson from PLSLWD netting some carp for the haul.

View Full Article

Carp Seine UPDATE – Upper Prior

Posted by PLSLWD Staff - April 16, 2019 - News, Carp Management, Prior Lake

A group of carp has been located in Mud Bay (a.k.a. Crystal Bay) and the commercial fishermen were lined up to come seine the area.

4-16-19 Update: The commercial fishermen worked hard today to pull their nets through the muddy bottom in Crystal Bay (a.k.a. Mud Bay). They ended up netting an estimated 5,000 pounds of carp, but this was a lot less than the 30,000 pound haul they were anticipating. The carp will stay netted at the location overnight until they are ready to be removed from the lake later this week.

Luckily the noise and netting didn’t scare the carp out of the bay and the commercial fishermen would like to take another shot at a seine tomorrow. We’re hoping that the second time is the charm!

Please DO NOT use boats, or recreational watercraft in Mud Bay (Crystal Bay) until the carp have been removed. Any activity or loud noises in this location could scare the carp out of the seine area and make removals less successful or prevent the seine from happening entirely. If you would like to watch the netting and removals, please do so from the public roads or join us at the Upper Prior boat landing later in the week to see the carp get loaded up onto the semi-trailer.

Visit the 2019 Carp Seine Updates page for more updates and our Facebook page for photos and videos from the seine as we get them.

View Full Article

Successful Clean-Up Event at Sand Point Beach Park

Posted by PLSLWD Staff - November 6, 2018 - News, Prior Lake

Nearly 50 volunteers worked up a sweat while cleaning up Sand Point Beach Park in Prior Lake on Oct. 28. The annual Fall Clean Water Clean-Up was hosted by the City of Prior Lake and the Prior Lake-Spring Lake Watershed District.

Volunteers pitched in to rake leaves and pull buckthorn to help keep Prior Lake clean and local Scouts planted over 50 shrubs at the park around the newly retrofitted stormwater ponds and water-cleaning iron-enhanced sand filter. Volunteers included many neighbors, local community members and local Scout Troop 339 and Pack 339. Many local businesses generously provided door prizes and volunteers were treated to refreshments, including donuts donated by Edelweiss Bakery.

Volunteers removed a truckload of buckthorn and raked over 2.5 tons of leaves. Excellent work in only a couple hours, many hands makes light work! Many photos from the event are posted on the Watershed District’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/PLSLWD/

Why rake up leaves & remove buckthorn? Leaves and other organic matter are carried by stormwater into storm drains and end up in lakes and streams. Once in the waterbodies they release the nutrient phosphorus, which feeds algae. Algae growth is a serious threat to water quality, aquatic life, property values and water recreation. Buckthorn is an invasive, non-native shrub that takes over wooded areas, by outcompeting native woodland plants which leads to more soil erosion and degraded wildlife habitat.

Buckthorn is quite obvious this time of year, as it’s one of the few things in the woods that is still green. If you have buckthorn in your backyard that you would like to remove, now is a good time! The City of Prior Lake even has buckthorn pullers available for residents to borrow at no cost. To check out a puller, contact Barb at the Maintenance Center at 952-447-9896.

Missed out on the fun? The District and the City will be hosting another clean-up next spring. Stay tuned by checking the Watershed District or City websites or email kkeller-miller@plslwd.org to be added to the email notification list.

View Full Article CWCU, Prior Lake, Sand Point, buckthorn, clean up, clean water clean up, volunteer

Crystal Bay Obstruction Removal – Preps Way for Future Carp Seines

Posted by PLSLWD Staff - October 8, 2018 - News, Carp Management, Prior Lake

Due to a last minute schedule change, the Prior Lake-Spring Lake Watershed District has an opportunity to remove some obstructions on the bottom of Crystal Bay TODAY (Oct 8th) in anticipation of a future carp seine (removal) at this location. The District has seen carp group up in this bay multiple times over the last three years, but obstructions on the bottom have prevented any efforts to remove them. The planned obstruction removals for later today will help the District take advantage of the carps’ migratory behavior and aggregations in this bay, and will advance the carp management plan for Prior Lake.

What will be happening?

Jeff Riedemann, the commercial fisherman engaged for this project, will be running a chain along the bottom of the bay, concentrating on the southwest side where carp have grouped up in the past. When they hit a “snag”, they will be pulling the obstruction up and moving it to a different location in the bay that is further away from the potential seine area.

Will any tree branches or debris be removed from the lake?
Since there are zebra mussels (an invasive species) in Prior Lake, the debris will not be removed from the lake to minimize any risk of moving this species to uninfested waters. Leaving woody debris on the bottom of the lake is also beneficial to macroinvertebrates and fish.

Are carp going to be removed from the lake today?

At this time, we do not anticipate that any carp will be removed during the obstruction removals. However, if a large congregation of carp are present in the bay, the commercial fisherman may temporarily trap them with nets in the location to hold them there until preparations can be made for their removal.

What are the next steps for this project?

With Crystal Bay cleared of obstructions, this provides the District with another potential area to seine (remove) carp in Prior Lake. Later this fall and winter, the District will take opportunities as they arise to remove additional carp from Prior Lake. These efforts are part of a comprehensive approach to manage carp populations. More information can be found by clicking here: Integrated Pest Management Plan for Carp.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or check out our carp management website page at: https://www.plslwd.org/projects-and-programs/projects/carp-management/.

View Full Article Crystal Bay, Mud Bay, Prior Lake, Upper Prior, carp, carp seine