Invasive grass carp could be establishing a population in the Huron River watershed of Lake Erie, according to DNA sampling by the U.S Geological Survey (USGS).
In 2022, fourteen eggs with characteristics similar to grass carp were identified from the Huron River, a tributary in Lake Erie’s Central Basin.
Eggs were identified to species via DNA sequencing and were determined to be grass carp eggs, according to USGS scientists. The confirmation of spawning in the Huron River represents a third spawning tributary in the Lake Erie basin.
Grass carp were first discovered in the Great Lakes basin in the 1980s. In 2015, confirmation of successful reproduction was established when fertilized grass carp eggs were found in the Sandusky River.
Early life stage monitoring also confirmed reproduction in the Maumee River in 2017. During 2018–2021, no new spawning tributaries were discovered during sampling events in five Great Lakes tributaries.
The grass carp is one of four invasive carp species that have potential to become established in the Great Lakes.
Wildlife agencies have captured more than 1,000 grass carp in Lake Erie during 2012-2023, according to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission.
Grass carp can eat 40% of their body weight a day in aquatic plants. They digest part of the plant material they consume and expel the remaining material, which contains nutrients that contribute to algal blooms.
While consuming and uprooting native aquatic vegetation, grass carp disrupt food availability, shelter, and spawning areas for native fishes.
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