Bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis), silver carp (H. molitrix), black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus)
and grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), are together referred to as Asian carp. These fish are highly
invasive and threaten the integrity of native fish species and ecosystems as their spread progresses
throughout the Mississippi River Basin of North America. Of immediate concern is the threat that two of
these species (bighead carp and silver carp) pose to the Great Lakes. Due to the proximity of large
populations of bighead and silver carp in the middle and lower segments of the Illinois River, the upper
Illinois River (Waterway) and the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS) have been under intensive
monitoring. Since 2009, this effort has been overseen by the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee
(ACRCC). In addition, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has constructed a series of electric barriers
on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal outside Chicago, Illinois, in hopes of preventing the further spread
of aquatic invasive species such as Asian carp between the Mississippi River Basin and the Great Lakes.
The first barrier began providing electricity to the water in 2002 and to date, only one bighead carp has
been found above the barrier in the waterway (Lake Calumet, June 2010). The presence of the less talked
about black carp and grass carp is also concerning, and effects on the ecology of lake and river
environments has the attention of scientists and managers. The USACE, in consultation with federal, state,
and local stakeholders, is conducting the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study, which
evaluates options and technologies available to prevent the transfer of aquatic invasive species (Asian carp
and other species) between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins via aquatic pathways. Other
efforts of the ACRCC can be found at www.asiancarp.us. This report is to share succinctly the efforts of
biologists across the U.S. to graphically document the current knowledge of Asian carp populations.