The Friends of Lake Kegonsa are working with the Department of Natural Resources and the UW-Madison Center for Limnology on a study of carp in the lake. The carp feed on the bottom of the lake and stir up sediment and phosphorus reducing lake clarity.
Carp removal projects take away the biological engine that re-suspends phosphorous. The resulting shift in the balance from mostly carp to other fish species help keep the remaining carp under control through predation.
The Lake Kegonsa carp removal project began in October 2015 by tagging several carp with radio transmitters to track their movements by plane. Tracking surveys will determine where to fish in the winter and spring and will be used to capture carp.
A similar carp removal project was done in Lake Wingra and resulted in dramatic improvements in water clarity. Carp removal is also taking place in Cherokee Marsh on Lake Mendota.
This article was first published in the 2015 State of the Lakes Annual Report.
