Oklahoma State is Asking Anglers to Kill These Fish if Caught

As more and more people make their way to their local Oklahoma lake ahead of summer, it's a good time to remind anglers that they've been drafted to fight in the Sooner State Carp War.

Of course, if you fish, you're probably at least a little familiar with the Asian silver and bighead carp problems in America. The bighead carp can grow to impressive sizes.

And silver carp are infamous for their unique and legendary behavior, often jumping clear out of the water when spooked by boats and motors.

Even though most carp are considered "established" and beneficial in certain situations, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation has a different take on these fish. They're all invasive species that threaten the natural order of Oklahoma's native and sport fish.

Even the humble plain old grass carp.

Of course, some anglers and fish-loving Karen's like to point out that grass carp are often introduced to ponds and lakes by the state as a means to control vegetation... but those fish are specifically bred to be infertile so as not to grow in numbers and upset the local ecosystem.

The scenario.

I was fishing with a few buddies a while back when one of them caught a massive grass carp below a running dam. It weighed 37 pounds and he managed to land it on an ultra-light rod and reel setup.

After snapping the pics, a debate started amongst us about what to do with the fish. We were split down the middle of whether to release it back into the Arkansas River or kill it there on the bank. The only result our quick search provided was a number to call to report the catch.

As it was pretty late, we opted to toss it back and follow up with the phone number later.

The Call.

After talking with one of the biologists at the listed number a few days later, I was given some good information.

All carp are invasive. Even those that are well-established and commonly thought to be native... but they're not.

The reason the state wants a phone call if you catch one in a public body of water is that they want to test it, get the genetics, and determine where it came from. This all goes toward the fight of these invasive fish.

In the event that it's super late or someone doesn't answer the call, you're asked not to return it to the water... well, alive anyway.

Best advice is to slice through the swim bladder and release it back into the river/lake. It will die, but it will also feed other native creatures as well. They don't recommend just tossing them on the bank either. While effective, it can ruin the fishing experience for others.

You can get more details about invasive species and your obligation as an angler if you catch one right here.