April 18. A spring morning on the water, rods bent, and families lined up along the bank for the WHIN Carp Rodeo.
The rules are simple. Catch carp, and lots of them. Kids and adults fished all day for prizes, and every carp pulled out was one less invader in the water. Plenty of bass and other fish got caught along the way too.
WHIN volunteers ran the check-in, the prizes and the booth. Families from across Southern Nevada showed up to fish.
Why it matters for wildlife: common carp are an invasive species. They root up the bottom, muddy the water, tear out aquatic plants and crowd out native fish and the waterfowl that depend on those plants. Pulling carp out helps the whole wetland.
Fish hard. Help the water.
WHIN is a volunteer-run Nevada conservation nonprofit. Every dollar stays in Nevada. Join at whinlv.org/membership. Donate at whinlv.org/donation. Want in on the next one? Email Whin@whinlv.org or call 702-449-2560.