Cash incentive raised to remove carp from Kentucky, Barkley lakes

The efforts to remove invasive carp from western Kentucky waterways will now be more profitable for local fishermen.

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources has increased the monetary incentive for commercial fishers to remove invasive carp from Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley.

For the new year, the former incentive rate of ten cents per pound has been increased to fifteen cents a pound to maintain pressure on populations of silver carp, bighead carp, black carp and grass carp that threaten native fish and aquatic habitat.
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According to KDFWR, the state's efforts to protect native fish populations is seeing positive results. They said that more than 15 million pounds of invasive carp were removed in 2024 alone, and over 74 million pounds have been harvested since 2013.

Recent data shows declining populations, including no young silver carp detected in Kentucky Lake or Lake Barkley since 2015

They said The bioacoustic fish fence at Barkley Dam has reduced upstream movement by about 50 percent.

Meanwhile, with new fishing gear and techniques, some crews have demonstrated the ability to remove more than 60,000 pounds of invasive carp in a single day.