(Provided by MDNR)

The Michigan DNR announced environmental DNA sample results from the St. Joseph and Kalamazoo rivers show no signs of invasive silver and bighead carp.

According to DNR fisheries biologist Nick Popoff, none of the 260 DNA samples collected May 1 and analyzed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service indicated the presence of genetic material for silver or bighead carp. Results and maps [ https://www.fws.gov/midwest/fisheries/eDNA/results/michigan/2017-06-30/2017-06-30.html ]of the 200 survey sites on the Kalamazoo River and the 60 sites on the St. Joseph River are available on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Midwest Fisheries website.

The DNA surveillance program, a collaborative effort between the Great Lakes states and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since 2013, samples high-priority locations for the presence of bighead and silver carp genetic material.

"Invasive carp thrive and reproduce in large, warm-water rivers with ample flow," said Popoff. "Michigan's southwestern Great Lakes tributaries provide suitable habitat and sufficient food, in the form of algae, to support these species.

The Grand, St. Joseph and Kalamazoo rivers have two additional monitoring events scheduled this summer, with lab results expected in July and August. The DNA monitoring program is a part of the early detection efforts outlined in Michiganís Asian Carp Management Plan.

Concern about the possibility of invasive silver or bighead carp reaching Michiganís waters was heightened by the June 22 capture of an 8-pound, 27-inch-long silver carp in the Illinois Waterway. The fish was netted by a commercial fisher participating in a scheduled Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee monitoring event.

The silver carp was caught just nine miles from Lake Michigan, some 27 miles beyond the electric barrier system meant to keep the fish from entering the Great Lakes.

If invasive carp prevention measures fail, the Great Lakes and Michiganís waters could sustain major ecological changes, causing losses to the $7 billion commercial and sport fishing industry. The potential for injury to recreational boaters and swimmers from leaping silver carp also could negatively affect the states $38 billion tourism economy.