The Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service say a search of three Ohio rivers found no invasive silver or bighead Asian carp.
The agencies deployed electrofishing crews to search for live carp after water samples from the Muskingum River showed traces of the invasive species. Crews sampled 125 sites in June along the Muskingum River and portions of the Tuscarawas and Walhonding rivers. The Asian carp monitoring in the Muskingum River is taking place because of two direct water connections to Lake Erie that have been identified as potential aquatic pathways between the Mississippi-Ohio River and Lake Erie-Great Lakes basins. The carp pose a threat to ecosystems and to Lake Erie's $11 billion dollar a year fishing and tourism industries.