Removing invasive species is a difficult task, and officials in Utah are getting the community involved to combat the problem.
According to KSL, the Utah Lake Authority is holding its second annual "Great Carp Hunt," encouraging people to catch as many of the species as they can.
In 2025, there was a $10,000 prize, but the 2026 event is operating on a bounty system, with anglers earning $1.50 for every fish caught, plus an additional $1.50 contributed by the Utah Lake Authority in a grand prize pool.
The competition runs between April and June and is divided into shore fishing and boat fishing categories, following an update for the competition based on feedback from the prior year.
"The more fish you catch, the more chances that you have — or the higher your chances to win the pot," Kelly Cannon-O'Day, spokesperson for Utah Lake Authority, told the outlet.
The ULA is also working on other efforts to remove the carp from the lake, such as investing in invasive species removal, which will require more funding from the state legislature. Cannon-O'Day said there are anywhere between 3 and 4 million carp in the lake, down from previous counts of 10 million.
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"So numbers are down dramatically, but we need to keep pushing those numbers down," she told KSL.
Carp pose a threat to the June sucker, a fish native to the lake, and they also destroy native vegetation and disrupt the lake's ecosystem by muddying the waters.
According to the National Invasive Species Information Center, there are four types of invasive carp in the U.S., with each causing similar issues in other waterways.
Other states have been working to combat their invasive fish issues, like officials in Virginia who are encouraging people to eat invasive catfish to eliminate the problem.
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It's not only invasive animals that are concerning. Invasive plants can also disrupt established ecosystems, hogging crucial resources from native plants.
The community can support the fight against invasive plant species by prioritizing native species in their landscaping. Native species are much easier to maintain, need less water, and create healthy ecosystems for native wildlife to thrive, especially pollinators.
Pollinators are crucial to the life cycles of thousands of plant species worldwide and especially important for the cultivation of crops grown by humans.
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