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Invasive carp (Bighead, Silver, Black, and Grass carp) threaten native ecosystems and recreation in Minnesota waters. These invasive species invasive species
An invasive species is any plant or animal that has spread or been introduced into a new area where they are, or could, cause harm to the environment, economy, or human, animal, or plant health. Their unwelcome presence can destroy ecosystems and cost millions of dollars.

Learn more about invasive species have been spreading upstream in the Mississippi River basin since their escape in the 1970s (Henderson 1976). With high fecundity and the ability to disperse great distances, invasive carp can reach substantial populations, sometimes comprising most of the fish biomass in certain systems (MICRA 2002). At high densities, invasive carp can impact native fish condition, injure boaters with their jumping behavior, and disrupt tourism and commercial fishing economies (Irons et al. 2007, Kolar et al. 2007).

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) conducts sampling for all life stages of invasive carp as part of monitoring and response efforts. Bighead, Silver, and Grass carp have been detected in Minnesota and have reached as far upstream in the Mississippi River as the Lower St. Croix River (Mississippi River Pool 2), and in the Minnesota River to Granite Falls (MNDNR 2022). Invasive carp are still present at relatively low densities in Minnesota, although catches have increased in recent years. Over 100 invasive carp have been captured in Pool 8 of the Mississippi River, raising concerns about the potential for reproduction. However, no reproduction has been detected in Minnesota waters to date.
MNDNR conducts ichthyoplankton sampling annually to monitor the population and inform management efforts. Larval trawls are performed during spring and summer at locations where spawning habitat is suitable for invasive carp. Light traps were added in 2022 to sample nursery habitat for juvenile fish. These samples are preserved in 90% ethanol, and visually identified to species by experts at an external laboratory.

Visual identification of larval fish from tows and light traps can be time consuming, requires funding an external laboratory, and may not detect any invasive carp at the end of sample analysis. Recently, Fritts et al. (2019) identified a method to use quantitative PCR (qPCR) markers developed for invasive carp eDNA surveys to pre-screen preserved samples for the presence of larval fish and eggs. These authors found that when tissue samples from larval invasive carp and carp eggs were stored in ethanol, qPCR could be used to detect invasive carp in aliquots of the ethanol. These results suggest that qPCR can be a useful tool to pre-screen larval samples collected by MNDNR and identify a subset of samples which could then be visually screened for species confirmation.

The objective of this project is to use existing quantitative PCR (qPCR) methods to screen larval tow and light trap samples collected by MNDNR in the upper Mississippi River (UMR) in 2022 for the presence of invasive Silver, Bighead, and Grass carp DNA. Samples that show positive qPCR results will be screened visually by an external laboratory to confirm the presence of larval invasive carp and eggs.