The carp have kept the District very busy in 2020! Check out this StoryMap to see what all we’ve been doing. More information on the District’s common carp management program visit the Carp Management page on our website.
As with many living creatures, carp move around throughout the year. Where do they go and how do we find them? Check out our Journey of a Carp StoryMap!
View Full Article 2020, carp, carp locations, carp management, carp tracking, common carp
Carp beware! The installation of the new carp barrier and maintenance deck for the District’s ferric chloride weir is now complete. The new structure will prevent carp from accessing the upstream Geis wetland for spawning, includes safety improvements for staff that will allow for easier maintenance. The new barrier replaces an older barrier which was no longer functioning well and was more challenging to maintain.
The photo below shows the downstream side of the ferric weir with the carp barriers in place. The angled tines of the carp can be temporarily lowered to dislodge any debris caught by the grates.
Common carp are a non-native invasive species from Eurasia which are currently found in many District lakes and associated wetlands. Common carp compete with native species and their bottom-feeding habits stir up sediment, reducing water quality and uprooting beneficial aquatic plants in our lakes. The District has a comprehensive carp management program which seeks to control the carp populations in District lakes and wetlands to levels and bring the populations below levels which harm the lakes. For more information on our carp program, visit the project page here.
The ferric chloride facility treats water from the County Ditch 13 system before it enters Spring Lake. Spring Lake is impaired for excess levels of phosphorus and the ferric chloride system removes phosphorus before it reaches the lake. Ferric chloride binds with phosphorus which makes it unavailable to algae. For a video tour of the ferric chloride system, visit our YouTube page here.
For more information on the ferric chloride facility, visit the project’s page on our website.
View Full Article FeCl, carp, carp barrier, ferric chloride
Sign up to help with our carp program!
We are looking for volunteers to assist with several projects:
Training is provided and no experience is necessary. Materials are supplied.
For more information, visit the carp volunteer page and click on each project for more information.
To volunteer: fill out the sign-up form here.
View Full Article carp, carp baiting, carp management, carp tracking, carp volunteers, volunteer, volunteeringThings have been busy lately with the District’s carp management program! Here are a few updates of what has been going on:
The Northwoods Barrier is IN!On Saturday, Sierra metals installed the Northwood barrier on the west side of Upper Prior Lake. This will block carp from entering this known spawning area when they start moving upstream later this spring.
A small group of carp on Spring Lake were grouped in an area unsuitable for seining. Rather than miss out on an opportunity, staff tried using one of the District’s small block nets to try and get the carp on Sunday for a “micro-haul”! While only 20 carp were caught, staff figured out some of the logistics this new tool.
Gill Netting Pilot ProjectIf conditions are right, the District will try to complete the Gill Netting Pilot Project in Mud/Crystal Bay either tomorrow or later this week. The goal is to see if gill nets can be used as a supplemental method to remove carp from the lakes without harming native fish. Gill nets are a great tool that most other states allow for carp, but Minnesota has restrictions that we hope to help change. 
A temporary barrier will be installed at the ferric chloride facility site this week to prevent carp migration while we wait for better, lower water conditions to install in the permanent barrier later this year. The Geis wetland is a known carp spawning location so the District is working to prevent carp from accessing this wetland for spawning.
View Full Article carp, carp barriers, carp managementThe results are in! The Prior Lake-Spring Lake Watershed District is happy to announce that we’ve completed two winter seines so far this year on Upper Prior Lake, one on March 2-3rd and the other one on March 5th.
Successful first seine: The first one successfully removed over FIVE TONS of carp from Upper Prior Lake! This was the District’s first time using underwater speakers and block nets to “herd” carp into the removal areas. It worked like a charm and will definitely be a tool we’ll use on future seines.
How did the second seine go? The commercial fishermen had a nice aggregation of carp in the haul area to start with. This was our first time putting the nets into this portion of the lake, and we weren’t sure what to expect. While the fishermen didn’t run into any obstructions on the bottom of the lake like trees and cinderblocks (as we did on Spring Lake earlier this year), they got caught in the mud several times. This forced the fishermen to stop pulling in the nets and go find the snag to release it out of the mud, allowing time for carp to find ways to escape the seine haul. Only 100 pounds of carp were removed from the lake today, but what we learned from this new netting area will make the next attempt in this area more successful! The fishermen are now experienced at netting this area, and if the carp group up here again, we’ll have a game plan to trap them.
Wish I had been there to see it! No problem – we’ve go you covered! Click below to see a video to see footage from the seine and a recap of how both the seine events went.
So what’s next? The District isn’t done removing carp from Upper Prior Lake! We still have many tricks up our sleeve to get the job done including open water seines this spring, box traps, electrofishing removals, and stocking bluegills (to name a few!). Please click here to learn more about the District’s Integrated Pest Management Plan for Carp and ways that you can help. You can follow the District’s carp removal activities on our Carp Removal Updates page or email kkeller-miller@plslwd.org to be added to the carp seine notification list.