'Great Carp Hunt' returns to Utah Lake as fight against invasive fish persists

PROVO — The Utah Lake Authority says carp remains a vital issue impacting the lake, and they are once again enlisting the help of the community to remove as many of them as possible.

The agency will hold its second annual "Great Carp Hunt," challenging anglers to catch as many carp as possible while earning cash.

The Utah Lake Authority says carp heightens numerous issues that disrupt the lake's ecosystem by muddying the water, destroying native vegetation and continues to pose risks for the June sucker, a fish species native to the lake.

"We have been able to kind of help save the June sucker, but a lot more work needs to be done," said Kelly Cannon-O'Day, spokesperson for Utah Lake Authority. "We don't talk about silver-bullet solutions, but getting our carp numbers down will make other problems a lot easier to kind of start tackling and taking care of."

She noted the environmental benefits of removing carp, including reducing sediment and nutrients that feed harmful algal blooms.

Utah Lake Authority hosted its inaugural carp hunt competition in 2025; the nearly yearlong contest resulted in around 30,000 pounds of carp being removed from the lake, according to Cannon-O'Day.

Overall, the Utah Lake Authority said 4,686 invasive carp were removed from the lake during the 2025 competition.

A group of competitors, 'Team BPS,' won last year's grand prize of $10,000, and other prizes were awarded during monthly tournaments.

Organizers are taking a different approach this year, as prize money will be a bounty program. For each fish caught, the team will receive $1.50, with an additional $1.50 contributed by the Utah Lake Authority to the grand prize pool.

"The more fish you catch, the more chances that you have — or the higher your chances to win the pot," Cannon-O'Day said.

Exact dates and locations for each tournament event are still being finalized, but they're tentatively scheduled to occur twice a month between April 11 and June 27.

The 2026 tournament is being divided into shore fishing and boat fishing categories, based on feedback from competitors, according to Cannon-O'Day.

The team or person who catches the most fish over the entire season wins the prize pot. Two prize pots for each category will be up for grabs.

Cannon-O'Day said Utah Lake Authority is trying the bounty system this year to cut down on the cost to hold the contest, while still making it attractive for potential challengers.

"The hope is that we're trying to remove as many carp as possible, (and) also being more cost effective with our prizes," she said.

Cannon-O'Day said that while the carp hunt helps the Utah Lake Authority's efforts to keep the species population in the lake from growing, it'll take more aggressive measures to remove large quantities of carp from the ecosystem.

Those ambitious measures, such as invasive species management efforts, will likely require additional funding, which the agency has been working closely with Utah's congressional delegation to secure, according to Cannon-O'Day.

"It's estimated that there are between 3 (million) to 4 million carp in Utah Lake, which sounds like a lot — and it is a lot — but at one point there were 10 million," Cannon-O'Day told KSL. "So numbers are down dramatically, but we need to keep pushing those numbers down."

Local leaders are also seemingly invested in the effort. Former Provo Mayor Michelle Kaufusi, who also serves as chair of the Utah Lake Authority board, said during a press conference last October that the plan is to rid the lake of carp and invasive plants by 2034.

"In Utah, we believe nothing is impossible. Carp, we are coming for you, and we won't stop until Utah Lake's waters are clear again," she said during the 2025 Utah Lake Symposium.

As of now, those interested in participating in the 2026 carp hunt can register early through Feb 28. General registration begins March 2.

A full set of rules can be found here.

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