The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has teamed up with the Minnesota DNR, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to start an intensive carp removal process in Pool 8 of the Mississippi River near La Crosse.
The organizations are using the Modified Unified Method (MUM), which is basically a way of herding the carp into one small area and removing them. This is the first time MUM has been used in Wisconsin and also the first time it’s been used in the U.S. as an early detection technique.
The process is planned to last seven to ten days but will be paused next Saturday and Sunday because of heavy boat traffic and then picked up again on Monday.
The MUM process uses block nets to get the fish in one area with electrofishing boats and underwater speakers for herding purposes. When one area is cleared, another net is used to block the carp from going back, and slowly the fish are put in a small area to be removed.
By the end of the week, we hope to get an update from the Wisconsin DNR on the progress of the process.
