Catch A Black Carp, Get $100
July 24, 2025 – The program called “Keep, Cool, Call” was initiated in Illinois by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), administered in partnership with Tetra Tech, Inc. Its purpose is to encourage anglers—both recreational and commercial—to report and help track the spread of invasive black carp throughout the Mississippi River Basin.
Under this initiative, anglers receive $100 per confirmed black carp, up to a maximum of 10 fish per month (i.e., $1,000/month), provided funding remains available. Initially launched to collect valuable specimens and mapping data within Illinois and neighboring states, the program has since expanded across the entire Mississippi River Basin and its tributaries, reflecting growing concern over black carp’s range expansion.
The program’s name refers to a three-step protocol anglers must follow if they suspect a caught fish is a black carp:
- Keep the fish—document capture location (ideally with GPS), take photos of key identification features like head, mouth, and length, and note habitat details.
- Cool the fish—humanely dispatch and keep it on ice or frozen, since possessing live black carp is illegal.
- Call local resource agencies to report the catch and provide the collected information.
Since its inception, the “Keep, Cool, Call” initiative has been highly effective in identifying and mapping black carp presence in the region. Much of what officials know today about the fish’s distribution is thanks to data gathered through this bounty-driven reporting program.
Overall, this collaborative effort strengthens early detection and helps inform future management strategies to mitigate the ecological impact of black carp across Midwestern waterways.
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