Victoria MN Newspaper

To the Editor:

The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District and the University of Minnesota are hot on the trail of common carp.

Researchers have implanted radio tags in 102 carp across the Six Mile Creek chain of lakes west of Lake Minnetonka. It is part of a larger assessment of the movement, behavior, and reproductive patterns of carp in this area that will help the District sustainably manage the invasive fish in the future.

The tracking information will help the District better understand how carp move through the system throughout the year. Most of the tagged carp have so far remained in the lake in which they were originally found. Some have moved between Mud Lake and Parley Lake, as well as between East and West Auburn Lakes. A few carp from Lake Minnetonka's Halsted Bay have moved to other bays within the lake. Researchers will continue tracking the carp throughout the winter.

Work on other components of the study, such as estimating carp populations and identifying where young carp come from, will continue in the spring after the ice recedes. Carp are thought to be a key cause of poor water quality.

Minnehaha Creek Watershed District

Minnetonka, Minnesota

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Six Mile Creek begins at Pierson Lake in Laketown Township. Several lakes flow into the Creek including Carl Krey Lake and Church Lake (both located in Victoria). The Creek flows through several lakes including Lake Wasserman and Lake Auburn (both in Victoria).