Creve Coeur Lake Boating Access to Close for Invasive Carp Removal

Creve Coeur Lake boaters should plan around an extended access closure as Missouri conservation staff and federal fisheries researchers resume invasive carp removal this fall. In an October 26 announcement, the Missouri Department of Conservation says public boat and watercraft access will close during the operation, while Creve Coeur Lake Park remains open during normal St. Louis County Parks hours.

MDC is working with U.S. Geological Survey research fish biologists from the Columbia Environmental Research Center and St. Louis County Parks and Recreation. Crews plan to begin placing nets on Monday, November 2, to direct and concentrate invasive carp. Those nets are expected to remain in the lake through March 30, 2027.

The agency’s notice contains an important scheduling discrepancy. Its headline identifies November 1 through March 15 as the operation’s window, and its photo caption describes an access closure through March 15. The body, however, says boating access will be closed during operations, gives March 30 as the expected end of net placement, and says public boating access is expected to be fully restored by April 1. Do not treat March 15 as a confirmed reopening date. Check with MDC before planning a launch, including at the start of the November closure window.

Visitors must respect lake closures and stay at least 50 feet from equipment, netting and floating buoys during operations. Some areas around boat ramps will be temporarily restricted, and crews may require minor detours along nearby walking routes. The park staying open does not mean the lake is open to boats; the announcement does not establish a blanket closure of every park activity.

The removal effort targets a problem below the surface as well as on it. MDC says invasive carp consume large quantities of plankton that native fish and other aquatic organisms rely on. That competition can disrupt food webs and reduce food available to native fish. The announcement describes a renewed removal effort, not a completed eradication or a measured recovery of the fishery.

For anglers and other visitors, the immediate task is to confirm access before bringing a boat. MDC’s St. Louis Regional Office can provide project information at 636-300-1953. Fisheries Biologist John Schulte can be reached at the same number, extension 4137. The official MDC announcement contains the project details and the differing dates described above.

Illustrative file photograph: silver carp jumping near a boat, from the U.S. Geological Survey image library. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey; public domain. This photograph does not depict the announced Creve Coeur Lake operation.