As you are enjoying a relaxing boat ride on the mighty Mississippi River, out of nowhere comes a fish traveling toward you at 20 mph. Rarely do you have time to duck. Working on the Mississippi river for over 35 years, I have been hit by the bullet fish multiple times, once coming home with a black eye and my wife questioning me about getting in trouble.

For some reason, these bullet fish react to the vibration and noise from boat motors, eliciting their jumping behavior, sometimes reaching ten feet in the air. We have found if you get up and go 30 mph, you probably will not get hit by the silver bullet. These bullet fish named by locals are actually the notorious silver carp, brought into the United States to control algae in aquaculture ponds, eventually escaping and establishing reproductive populations in the Mississippi River. Now, they are one of the most abundant fish in the river.

Our great river became a haven for silver carp, providing unlimited spawning habitat in the swift waters that these fish require, and a buffet of food in the many backwater lakes where their preferred food, plankton, is plentiful.  As their numbers increased exponentially, they began to invade the entire Mississippi river basin. Silver carp can reach up to 30 pounds. However, there are other invasive carp species in the Mississippi River, including the bighead carp that can exceed 100 pounds. Thank goodness bighead carp don’t jump out of the water like their cousin, the silver carp.

Because their numbers are so high, they impact native fish species who also feed on plankton, like the paddlefish and bigmouth buffalo. Silver carp are schooling species, so if you see one, there are probably hundreds nearby. As they move about feeding, they disrupt nest-building fish like bream, crappie, and bass, scaring away the guarding adults and other fish come in and gobble down the eggs. This could be one reason that the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks continue to receive reports of poor fishing in oxbow lakes infested with carp.

One attempt to control their numbers is by eating them. However, if I ask folks on the cruise ship Viking Mississippi that docks in Vicksburg how many eat carp, no one raises their hand. The irony is that silver and bighead carp are one of the most highly cultured fish in the world and are eaten through Asia and Europe. In Chef Philippe Parola’s cookbook titled “Can’t Beat ‘Em, Eat ‘Em,” he suggests renaming the silver carp to Copi, short for copious.  That should help since people may not realize they are eating carp. We love our fried catfish, but not carp.

Our research has shown that silver carp from the lower Mississippi River have the fastest growth rate in the world because of the unlimited resources found in the river and floodplain. What a waste of protein. Fortunately, there are other uses of these invasive species that have evolved over the past decade. For you dog owners, companies are now selling silver carp dog treats online. Lobster fishermen in the northeast are buying silver and bighead carp as bait for their lobster traps, others in Louisiana use carp as food for crayfish farming, and there are attempts to ship frozen carp overseas.

Silver carp can become a recreational species. They don’t take a bait, but you can snag them, and I guarantee they will put up a fight. If you are somewhat of a lazy fisherman, you only need to drive your boat in circles with an open ice chest and the silver carp may jump right in. Unfortunately, when they hit the deck, they tend to bleed and slime all over your boat.

So, next time you are boating or skiing on the Mississippi River, be aware that the silver carp are probably nearby. It’s not superman, but a bullet fish able to leap into your boat with single bound. If they do land in your ice chest, go online and find out how to prepare and cook these fish, which can be delicious regardless of their name. Otherwise, we will have to learn to live with them, just like fire ants.

Jack Killgore, Ph.D., is a resident of Vicksburg. Prior to retirement, he was a long-time employee of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ERDC). He also serves as an enrichment speaker on the Viking Mississippi and teaches river science courses at Tulane University. He can be reached at kjkillgore@gmail.com.