Invasive Carp Could Spread Across Lake Michigan on Detritus Diet

The fish’s undiscerning palate might make more of the lake habitable to the species than once thought, according to a new study.

| 3 min read
silver carp in the fox river near lake michigan

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
3:00
Share

ABOVE: Silver carp jumping in the Fox River
RYAN HAGERTY/USFWS

Invasive Asian carp could thrive in the waters of Lake Michigan by chowing down on feces and decomposing organisms, researchers reported August 12 in Freshwater Biology.

Two carp species, the bighead (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) and silver carp (H. molitrix), were brought to the US in the 1960s and dumped into southern sewage lagoons and fish farms to eat away excess algae, according to the Associated Press. The fish found their way to the Mississippi River, traveling through its many tributaries on their way north. The Illinois River now teems with the carp, which make up two-thirds of its fish biomass found there, according to Science News.

As the carp make their way towards the Great Lakes, scientists are trying to figure out if and how they could survive there.

“We should be doing everything we can to keep bighead and silver carps ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here
3D illustration of a gold lipid nanoparticle with pink nucleic acid inside of it. Purple and teal spikes stick out from the lipid bilayer representing polyethylene glycol.
February 2025, Issue 1

A Nanoparticle Delivery System for Gene Therapy

A reimagined lipid vehicle for nucleic acids could overcome the limitations of current vectors.

View this Issue
Enhancing Therapeutic Antibody Discovery with Cross-Platform Workflows

Enhancing Therapeutic Antibody Discovery with Cross-Platform Workflows

sartorius logo
Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Lonza
An illustration of animal and tree silhouettes.

From Water Bears to Grizzly Bears: Unusual Animal Models

Taconic Biosciences
Sex Differences in Neurological Research

Sex Differences in Neurological Research

bit.bio logo

Products

Photo of a researcher overseeing large scale production processes in a laboratory.

Scaling Lentiviral Vector Manufacturing for Optimal Productivity

Thermo Fisher Logo
Discover a serum-free way to produce dendritic cells and macrophages for cell therapy applications.

Optimizing In Vitro Production of Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells and Macrophages

Thermo Fisher Logo
Collage-style urban graphic of wastewater surveillance and treatment

Putting Pathogens to the Test with Wastewater Surveillance

An illustration of an mRNA molecule in front of a multicolored background.

Generating High-Quality mRNA for In Vivo Delivery with Lipid Nanoparticles

Thermo Fisher Logo