Black Carp Bounty Program: Fishermen in 27 States Can Fight Invasives and Earn $1000 per Month

Anglers can help protect native fish by targeting invasive black carp—and get rewarded.

Anglers can now earn $100 per invasive black carp caught—up to $1,000 per month. Learn how to qualify, report your catch, and protect native fisheries. | USFWS photo courtesy Ryan Hagerty.

Why Black Carp Are a Problem

If you’re an angler, you’ve probably heard about the invasive carp problem in the U.S., and may have even seen firsthand the damaging effects these species can have on our lakes and rivers. These carp disrupt entire ecosystems by outcompeting native species, reducing outdoor recreation and potentially putting local economies at risk.

What Anglers Can Do to Help

You can do your part to help with this urgent environmental problem while putting up to $1000 dollars per month in your pocket—just by going fishing and reporting your catches of invasive black carp.

How the Bounty Program Works

Scientists and fisheries managers from federal and state agencies, working to find solutions to this invasive carp problem, would like your help in mapping the spread of black carp by providing details of your catch. This program, funded by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, has historically been offered to anglers in Illinois and adjoining states. But now the “Keep, Cool, Call” program has been expanded to include 27 states covering the Mississippi River basin and its tributaries.

The states included are Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

According to the program’s description: Rewards of $100 are available for black carp captures in the Mississippi river and its tributaries. Reimbursements are limited to 10 awards per person per month, subject to funding availability. Report catches immediately to your local resource agency. To find your state’s contact for the program, go to this downloadable pdf with all the details here: Keep, Cool, Call

Who Is Eligible for the Reward?

Captures can be from commercial fishing activities or sportfishing sources (e.g., hook and line or bowfishing).

Steps to Report Your Catch

• Catch a black carp
• Photograph fish’s head, mouth and total length
• Record location (preferably GPS coordinates)
• Record catch detail (gear used, bait used, water conditions—depth, temperature, flow levels, etc.)
• Humanely dispatch it and place it on ice or in a freezer (possession of live invasive carp is illegal)
• Find and contact your state’s representative here: Keep, Cool, Call
• Earn $100 per black carp, up to 10 per month

Tips for Identifying Black Carp

This handy Identification Guide is by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Report aquatic invasive species at www.agfc.com/ans or scan the QR code. Include a photo, location,and date of observation. | www.agfc.com

In an article by Randy Zellers on the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's website, Rachael Irby, invasive carp biologist said, “We have an invasive carp identification flyer available at www.agfc.com/ans to help differentiate between the four species of invasive carp in Arkansas. Although the reward is only for the black carp, we still would like to know details about any other invasive carp caught in the state.”

And, the Keep, Cool, Call document also contains additional identification tips, including similar species which are not considered a threat, but are sometimes incorrectly identified as one of the problem species. For example, common carp are a non-native species, but pose no threat to the ecosystem and common carp are often a popular target for fishermen.