Illinoisans Could Get An Extra $1,000 Per Month For Catching This Fish

The state of Illinois is really done with one specific fish.

WHBF reports that Illinois has started a program that targets the black carp in the state. It's the "Keep, Cool, Call" program.

The black carp are considered 'injurous' wildlife and they are invasive, spreading in the Mississippi River basin and tributaries of it. Check out the map:

Now, with the 'Keep, Cool, Call' program, Illinois DNR has a $100 bounty on black carp caught in the Mississippi River basin and it's offshoots.

Payments for catching the fish are capped at $1,000 per month.

Carp are not particularly pretty fish. The black carp is this thing:

To be eligible for the payday, if you catch a black carp, take a clear picture of the fish's head, mouth, and total length. Take note of the location (using GPS coordinates, if you can). The fish has to be caught from the Mississippi River basin or it's tributaries.

Illinois DNR encourages you to fish legally, such as hook-and-line or bowfishing. Once you catch a black carp, fishers are encouraged to humanely kill it and freeze it.

It's illegal to be in possession of live invasive carp.

If you catch a black carp and you're eligible to cash in on it, you can reach out to Illinois DNR Commercial Fishing Program Biologist Sara Tripp at 618-444-3078 or via email at sara.tripp@illinois.gov.

The earliest reports of black carp in the Mississippi River basin were around the Red River in Louisiana in the 1990's.