Black Carp Bounty Program Extended to Texas Anglers

The Black Carp Bounty Program will pay anglers up to $100 for each black carp they catch in the Red River Basin. (Photo by Ryan Hagerty/USFWS)

Texas anglers can now earn $100 per black carp that they catch in the Red River Basin.

According to Crossroads Today, the Black Carp Bounty Program, currently in 27 states, has been extended to Texas anglers who catch carp in the Red River. The program will pay anglers $100 for every invasive black carp they catch, up to 10 per month.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says although black carp have not yet been documented in Texas waters, recent reports show the species moving closer to the Red River. Native to eastern Asia, the black carp was introduced to the United States in the 1970s. It has spread through parts of the Mississippi River basin, causing serious ecological damage.

Black carp can eat up to four pounds of mollusks a day, including native mussels that play an essential role in filtering water and maintaining healthy river ecosystems. Their disappearance negatively affects water quality, fishing, drinking water treatment costs, and local water recreation economies.

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Officials hope bounty hunters can prevent those consequences by eliminating the species before it becomes an issue. After all, preventing an invasive species from taking hold is much cheaper and more effective than attempting to control it later.

Anglers who catch a carp must humanely kill the fish and follow the "Keep, Cool, Call" protocol by placing it on ice and reporting it immediately to their state wildlife agency. Anglers can take advantage of identification guides and videos to help prevent carp misidentification.

Last August, Oklahoma and Arkansas launched their own bounty program for black carp.

For the Red River Basin, reports should be made to Monica McGarrity at 512-552-3465 or [email protected].