Do fish have ears? Frequencies used to stop the spread of Asian carp

Aquatic invasives
Starting at top right, clockwise: Zebra mussels, Asian carp, flowering rush, spiny waterflea, faucet snail, eurasian watermilfoil.
Photos: MPR News, AP, DNR, USGS

Asian carp have continued to move northward up the Mississippi, despite the state's best efforts. Last year eggs were found in the Mississippi close to the Iowa-Minnesota border, and this season Asian carp were caught near the mouth of the St. Croix River and close to Winona.

Map: Aquatic invasive species spread across Minn.

Researchers at the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Center at the University of Minnesota recently unveiled what they hope will be a potent weapon against the spread of Asian carp: an underwater speaker system which emits a certain frequency that the carp dislike.

The lead researcher and founder of the invasive species center, Peter Sorensen, joined MPR's Tom Crann on the phone about the strategy.

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