LAMOURE COUNTY, N.D. (KFGO) – North Dakota Game & Fish Department’s Invasive Species Coordinator Jessica Howell is keeping close tabs on silver carp.

The leaping fish was first detected in the state on the James River in 2011, moving upstream from South Dakota when water levels were very high during record summer flooding.

Howell says “catches” late this summer on the James River near LaMoure indicates the fish are surviving North Dakota water but do not appear to be spawning:

Silver carp are considered a threat to fish and other marine life because they attack the food chain and in high numbers and have been known to injure boaters.

Photo: North Dakota Game & Fish Department