Wonder what’s lurking beneath the waterways of the Mississippi and its tributaries?

Tiffany Hickox, a program manager with Indianabased Environmental DNA Solutions, can tell you. The company, which analyzes DNA found in water samples, works with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to track Asian carp. So far the invasive species has been found in the St. Croix River, Lake Pepin and near the Quad Cities. The large fish are not only a threat to the aquatic food chain, but are also a hazard to boaters because they startle easily and flip into the air. We asked her to give us the scoop on her unique line of work.

It’s an exciting science.
We’re trying to get people interested in monitoring for invasive species and endangered species. When you’re able to monitor something and you’re able to detect it at the beginning, you’re able to manage it.

They chow down.
Asian carp are an invasive species and eat between 5 and 20 percent their body weight of food every single day. They remove the bottom level of the food chain and they eventually kill off some other species.

It’s like a crime scene.
It’s basically the same as the human DNA that police use to prove a person is at the scene of a crime. Humans leave skin cells, hair follicles. Fish leave mucus, feces, urine and scales. We collect a sample of the water, filter out all of the particulate matter, including the DNA. Then through diagnostic DNA fragments, we detect different species.

Work can be disgusting. There’s some pretty gross stuff in the water. I’ve found a dead raccoon floating, a few rotting fish, toilet paper. When you’re filtering out the water, you get to see all of it. We wear plastic gloves for a reason.

It’s not just about fish.
I’ve never been a fan of fish, I have to admit. It’s more about protecting the entire ecosystem. If I wasn’t monitoring the fish and where they’re located, it could potentially ruin the rest of the Great Lakes and rivers. IQ

Origin: First brought to the United States from China in the 1970s by Arkansas fish farmers to improve water quality by removing algae from fish production ponds. They escaped from the fish farms and began to appear in the southern Mississippi River in the 1980s. They have been moving north at a rate of about 50 miles per year and have been found in the St. Croix River.

Impact: Bighead and silver carp are filter feeders, straining tiny animals and plants (plankton) out of the water. They directly compete with native filter feeders such as mussels and fish, which can potentially disrupt the entire food web in a water body. Leaping fish can also be hazardous to boaters.