Minnesota Researchers Hope to Use Fish Virus Against Carp
ST. PAUL (AP) — University of Minnesota researchers may be able to use a recent fish virus outbreak to combat an invasive species plaguing state lakes.
Researchers with the university's Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center are studying Koi herpesvirus.
Research center director Nick Phelps says his team hopes to release the virus into Minnesota lakes to stop the spread of invasive carp. Koi fish are a subspecies of common carp so they're both susceptible to the virus. He says the disease won't harm other fish because it specifically targets carp.
First-year doctoral student Isaiah Tolo says carp have been in the area for more than 180 years and can disturb lake environments.
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