500 grass-eating carp released into overgrown Louisiana lake

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) – (12/13/19) Parks officials in Louisiana’s capital city say more than 500 grass-eating carp have been released into a lake to help gobble up vegetation taking over the water.

The Advocate reports that a warmer winter and an excess of nutrients from runoff has allowed vegetation to flourish in Baton Rouge’s City Park Lake.

The fish released Thursday cost around $5.50 each and were driven down from a fishery in Arkansas.

Officials say it will take at least six months for the bottom feeders to make a dent in the overgrowth.

In an additional $50 million effort, the city will dredge six neglected lakes in 2020.