This Fish Story Is a Whopper, But True: Record-Breaking 750,000 Pound…

Invasive carp seining operation in action. (Courtesy of Illinois Department of Natural Resources)

In one fell swoop, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) nearly doubled its annual removal of invasive carp from the state’s waterways.

An intense 10-day “harvest” operation in the Illinois River near Starved Rock netted 750,000 pounds of silver carp between Nov. 27 and Dec. 6.

The haul represents the largest single removal effort IDNR has undertaken and is believed to be a record for freshwater harvest within the United States, officials said.

In a typical year, IDNR and contracted commercial fishers reel in a total of 1 million pounds of invasive carp. Thanks to the most recent success, the 2023 tally will top 1.7 million pounds, IDNR said.

Officials credited the whopping number to near-perfect weather conditions and increased experience with a new netting technique.

In 2022, crews used a seine — a net that surrounds fish on the sides and underneath —…