WHAT WE DO
Carp Management
A five-year, five-phase partnership between LLWA, the MCWD, and the cities of Long Lake, Orono, and Medina to restore water clarity to Long Lake.
Common carp uproot aquatic plants, stir up sediment, and release phosphorus back into the water column — dramatically reducing water clarity and fueling algae blooms. Years ago, LLWA set out to change that. What started as a grassroots question became one of the most successful community-led watershed projects in our region.
A Community Effort
None of this happens alone. The project simply would not exist without the steady support and encouragement of the Cities of Long Lake and Medina. Their councils and staff recognized early that water doesn't respect city lines — and they showed up as true partners every step of the way.
Carp Solutions and WSB Environmental led the radio-tracking, population assessment, much of the tagging and tracking, as well as the targeted removal work.
Additionally, the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) brought the science, the regulatory framework, and additional tracking expertise to allow us to refine our approach, and understand our results.
Finally, none of this would be possible without our neighbors - residents young and old from Long Lake, Medina, Orono and Wayzata got involved in the data collection, station monitoring, and funding - our Carp Project was a true multi-year community effort, and the best kind of citizen science project!
Sediment-disturbing carp can release enough phosphorus to fuel algae blooms on their own.
— LLWA monitoring report
Tagged carp awaiting release during a mark-recapture survey.
Common carp uproot vegetation and stir up sediment — the source of the problem.
Seining & Active Removal
Targeted electrofishing and seining operations, run with partners and supported by youth and community volunteers from the Long Lake public access, removed thousands of pounds of carp from Long Lake.
A summer carp survey launches from the City of Long Lake public access.
Box Netting & Bait Stations
Between large seining efforts, we ran a network of baited box nets across Long Lake. Corn-baited stations drew carp into a defined area, and box nets set nearby captured them for removal — a low-impact, highly targeted technique that kept native fish safe.
A box-netting station at daybreak on Long Lake.
A morning haul from a single box net.
A youth volunteer checks the corn-bait leaves at a monitored station.
Contracted crews haul out captured carp for disposal.
Listening for carp beneath the ice…
On crisp winter mornings, our partners headed onto the frozen waters of the Long Lake Creek subwatershed with radio-tracking equipment designed to locate tagged invasive carp. By mapping where carp overwinter, shelter, and move beneath the ice (sometime with an assist from our snowplows), we hoped to pinpoint the best location and timing for a winter seine removal.
Cold-morning radio-telemetry tracking of tagged carp.
Carp Seining & Monitoring Gallery
A look at the people and the work behind the numbers — tagging, weighing, and tracking carp across Long Lake with our partners at Carp Solutions, WSB, and the MCWD.
Tagging carp with WSB Environmental.
Up front, and personal, with invasive carp!
Youth volunteers help weigh and record each fish.
Each carp it measured and weighed before tagging.
Our Projects
1
2017
Carp Management
LLWA documented carp's impact on water clarity and aquatic plants and built community support for a coordinated, watershed-wide response.
2
2018
Data Gathering
LLWA funded a WSB-led assessment — tagging, electrofishing, and telemetry — to map spawning grounds, migration, population size, and age structure. Starting densities were well above the threshold for good water quality
3
2019
Winter Seine & Tracking
The winter seine came up short — carp didn't congregate under the ice as hoped, even with snow-plow herding. Tagging continued: 283 carp were PIT-tagged across Long Lake, the Long Lake Ponds, Tanager, and Wolsfeld.
4
2021
Active Removal Begins
LLWA, Long Lake, and Medina engaged Carp Solutions to harvest carp with baited box nets — 1,107 fish removed.
5
2022
Continued Removals
69 carp pulled from the inlet stream and another 835 from five baited box nets set in June.
6
2023
Near the Goal
Removals reduced the population by more than 2,000 carp — very near the management goal.
Active removal paused; sustained monitoring began.
7
2024 & BEYOND
Ongoing Stewardship
Migration monitoring, fish-barrier support, and community updates continue. The 2025 Buckhorn Days carp bow-fishing contest ended with no winner — carp levels were simply too low.
8
WHAT THE DATA SHOW
A Stable, Controlled Population
PIT-tag data show little movement between Long Lake, Tanager, and Wolsfeld. Captured carp in 2021–22 were large (530–792 mm) with only one juvenile observed — evidence that very few young are being produced. The dataset also helped strengthen the MCWD's successful BWSR grant for the Long Lake Creek Sub-Watershed Roadmap.
Results
Bottom line, our efforts removed over 17,000 pounds of carp from the watershed, reducing the population by 40%
Most recent data show the population is steady, with no evidence of juvenile carp reproducing in the lake
We are very close (~500 carp) to the recommended level of 100kg/ha (89 lobs/acre), which is the level where carp cause minimal disturbance to the lake bottom and have minimal impact on the lake ecosystem
A repeatable, science-driven model the MCWD can apply across the watershed
Anecdotal evidence: the 2025 Buckhorn Days Carp Fishing Contest didn't result in the capture of a single carp!
What's Next
Carp management isn't a one-time fix — young-of-year carp can rebuild a population quickly if no one is watching. LLWA continues to monitor migrations, support fish barriers in connecting wetlands, and report progress to the community. With our partners at the MCWD and the three cities, we're committed to keeping the gains we've made.