While Montana has had the Carp Safari at Canyon Ferry, in Arkansas, carp can fund your next road trip–or at least your gas to get home.
If you catch a black carp in Arkansas, make sure you kill it, chill it, take a picture of it, and cash in! According to a press release by Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) to the “Keep, Cool, Call” program, which was launched by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Illinois DNR, anglers in Arkansas can now earn $100 per black carp caught (up to $1,000 a month) just by reporting the catch. You can cast a line, bowfish, or haul nets, but if you land one of these invasive invaders, the AGFC wants to hear from you. The steps are to 1) keep the fish, 2) cool it on ice, and 3) call it in with details like location, bait, water conditions, and a few good pictures. The reward only applies to black carp, but AGFC also wants reports of any invasive carp you come across. It’s their way to fight back against a fish that is threatening their native species, and anglers can make some money just by catching them. Thanks to the success of the “Keep, Cool, Call” program, it now includes the entire Mississippi River Basin and its tributaries.
“Anyone who catches a fish that they believe to be a black carp should keep the fish, humanely dispatch it and place it on ice. Transporting a live invasive carp is illegal in Arkansas, so the fish must be dispatched before moving it.”
So if you’re a Montanan heading southeast with a rod or your bowfishing equipment in the truck, it might be worth packing a cooler… and keeping your phone or camera handy. For more information, visit www.agfc.com/ans or check out the press release here.
Feature photo: USFWS photo courtesy Ryan Hagerty | Poster: AGFC image
