An estimated 50,000 pounds of carp removed from Prior Lake

Prior Lake American

The Prior Lake-Spring Lake Watershed District and area fishermen got to work on the carp population in Prior Lake Thursday and Friday.

Two holes were cut in the ice of upper Prior Lake and netted to remove the fish in a process called seining. Something fishy was noticed after the carp were found congregating in one spot on the lake.

The seine went swimmingly, and on Thursday the district and consulting company WSB & Associates had pulled in plenty of carp. The exact amount won’t be known until all the fish are pulled out on Friday, but environmental scientists estimated it was about 50,000 pounds.

Holy carp.

About two carp will be tagged and put back into the lake to track carp population and location.

But the harvest is likely only a drop in the ocean, as carp are an invasive species that roots out other habitats when searching for food. Carp also release a phosphorus that increases algae.

The carp removed from the lake will be transported and sold to a market on the east coast, where the carp fetch about 25 cents per pound. Don’t worry, fishermen — there’s plenty other fish in the lake.