An Official Website of the Commonwealth of Kentucky
Administration; Fishing; Lands-Management; Boating
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Dec. 3, 2024) — The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources has partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to sample Taylorsville Lake in central Kentucky for invasive bighead carp and silver carp using environmental DNA (eDNA) surveillance.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife and Kentucky Fish and Wildlife collected 330 eDNA samples from three sites at Taylorsville Lake on Oct. 21-22, 2024. Sampling for eDNA consists of collecting and analyzing water samples for the presence of DNA from the organism of interest. Of the 330 water samples collected in 2024 from the lake, six tested positive for invasive carp genetic material.
Environmental DNA typically enters a waterbody through the shedding of cells and secretions of mucus and feces directly from a living organism, but it can be deposited in other ways.
“A positive eDNA sample does not necessarily indicate the presence of live fish,” said Dave Dreves, director of the Fisheries Division at Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “It is possible for genetic material to be introduced into the water by boats or fishing equipment used in another area where invasive carp are present, or even by other animals such as fish-eating birds.”
To date, there is no physical evidence of any live bighead carp or silver carp in Taylorsville Lake. This comes after multiple fish population assessments conducted each year.
Taylorsville Lake was selected because it is an important fisheries resource located within the Salt River watershed, a tributary to the Ohio River. The area of the Ohio River where the Salt River enters is considered an invasive carp “establishment front.”
As an establishment front, the lower Salt River has invasive carp of all ages and is an area where invasive carp are known to reproduce, warranting special attention by Kentucky Fish and Wildlife to detect the spread of these invasive species. The dam forming Taylorsville Lake is believed to stop upstream movement from the Salt River, so invasive carp are presumed to not occur in the lake or areas upstream.
If new detections occur through either eDNA or electrofishing monitoring efforts, the evidence will be evaluated to determine if additional response actions are warranted.
“We use eDNA results as one piece of information to determine the best response to the potential threat of an invasive species,” said Jeff Herod, fisheries aquatic nuisance species coordinator and Ohio River Basin Invasive Carp Program coordinator with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “In this case, we have requested assistance from the USFWS to conduct another round of eDNA sampling in Taylorsville Lake beginning 2025, with results to be processed as soon as possible. Those additional results will help determine future actions. If a response is warranted, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife is prepared, and it has a plan ready to implement.”
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife has been working to detect invasive carp in new areas of the Ohio River Basin since 2015.
It is illegal to move live invasive carp species in Kentucky. Young invasive carp are easily confused with shad and herring species, so the live transport and use for bait of these wild-caught fish species in other waters has been banned to prevent inadvertent movement of these harmful aquatic invasive species.
“We are diligent in our efforts to protect Kentucky’s inland fisheries and aquatic resources”, Herod said. “We continue to increase our detection efforts, such as using eDNA, to respond to invasive species early. We have employed early detection sampling, native fish population surveys, and we support commercial fishers to reduce numbers of invasive carp.”
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife collaborates with state, federal, academic and private partners in Kentucky and surrounding states in the Ohio, Mississippi, Tennessee and Cumberland rivers in research, monitoring and efforts to reduce the numbers of invasive carp. These partnerships support sampling, removal efforts and construction of physical deterrents such as the BioAcoustic Fish Fence at Lake Barkley on the Cumberland River, to deter invasive carp movement into new areas.
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s efforts continue to help increase the harvest and removal of invasive carp. Since 2013, commercial fishers have removed more than 60-million pounds of invasive carp from Kentucky waters.
Anglers are encouraged to learn how to identify invasive carp and report any suspect fish. Identification and reporting information for invasive carp and the threats they pose to Kentucky’s waters is available on the Invasive Carp Information webpage on the department’s website (www.fw.ky.gov) or at the Invasive Carp Regional Coordinating Committee website.
View All News