Carrying a shield against invasive carp with Steven Butler

Carrying a shield against invasive carp with Steven Butler

From Everyday Environment Podcast by Abigail Garofalo, Amy Lefringhouse, Erin Garrett

May 7, 2026 · 43 min · Episode 185

About this episode

Steven Butler discusses the impact of invasive carp on aquatic ecosystems and management strategies to mitigate their spread.

Join Steve Butler , Biologist at the Kaskaskia Biological Field Station , as he discusses invasive carp (silver carp, bighead carp, grass carp, and black carp) and their reproducing populations throughout much of the Mississippi River basin. This set of fish have altered the structure and function of aquatic food webs, thereby impacting native fish assemblages. Due to concerns about the impacts of invasive carp on aquatic ecosystems and the risks of these species spreading into the Great Lakes via the Illinois River and the Chicago Area Waterway System, considerable efforts have been undertaken to understand the ecology of these invasive fishes and implement management strategies to limit their continued expansion and mitigate their ecological impacts. Resources: Invasive Carp Regional Coordinator Committee Managing Invasive Carp from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Invasive Carp Canada Non-indigenous Aquatics Database: Silver Carp , Bighead Carp , Grass Carp , Black Carp Share your own Everyday Observation Was there something about this topic we didn’t cover? See something cool in nature? Let us know! Send us your question or share your everyday nature observation with us at…

People in this episode

Hosts: Abigail Garofalo, Erin Garrett, Amy Lefringhouse

Guest: Steven Butler

Topics covered

  • invasive species
  • ecology
  • aquatic ecosystems
  • management strategies
  • Mississippi River
  • Great Lakes

Keywords

  • invasive carp
  • silver carp
  • bighead carp
  • grass carp
  • black carp
  • Mississippi River basin
  • ecological impact
  • aquatic food webs

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Kaskaskia Biological Field Station, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Invasive Carp Canada, Non-indigenous Aquatics Database

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