(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – An estimated 750,000 pounds of invasive silver carp have been pulled from the Illinois River system, state environmental officials say.
Biologists with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources worked with commercial fishers between Nov. 27 and Dec. 6 on an “intensive harvest operation” using nets in the river’s Starved Rock pool, IDNR said in a news release.
It’s considered the state’s largest single removal effort and probably a record for freshwater harvest within the United States, officials said.
"Clearly, this removal technique is highly effective, but it is also highly dependent on water levels and water temperature," Brian Schoenung, aquatic nuisance species program manager for IDNR, said in a news release. "This past week provided near perfect conditions, which facilitated the record-breaking haul of fish."
The harvest operation is part of the state’s efforts to try to prevent silver carp from entering the Great Lakes.
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